Venanata Vita
by Firebird2002
Summary: The rangers come together for a wedding, but when a massive time-altering threat to the galaxy as they know it emerges, the rangers must band together to save Earth before it is destroyed. Disclaimer: characters belong to Saban/Disney, not me.
1. Chapter 1: Tommy and Kimberly's Wedding

The focus of the days ahead would be leisurely talking with people that meant more to him than anything, at least that's what Dr. Thomas Oliver hoped would happen, but that didn't mean God would answer his prayers. He knew what could happen at any moment, the crazy way that work always managed to create a new insanity to face.

Given that he'd just had his reunion with his friends in Angel Grove the year prior, and it had gone off without a hitch, he couldn't help but feel a strange uneasiness rising in his throat. Things never seemed to go well twice.

He wished that feeling would just go away and leave him with the happiness that was rising in his heart.

Kimberly Hart stood up and looked at his face, touched his cheek with her hand.

"What's bothering you?" she asked nonchalantly, as if she already knew. "This time tomorrow we'll be getting married in the most beautiful church with the most beautiful people in the whole wide world."

Tommy sighed, "Maybe that's what's bothering me."

She crinkled her nose. "If anything happens tomorrow I swear I'll find a way to resurrect Zordon's butt so I can kick it myself."

Tommy smiled and laughed half-heartedly. "It's been a year since Jason and Emily..."

"Yeah, hard to believe. It seems like we just had that wonderful week."

"A lot has changed, hasn't it."

"You mean like us? We're finally stopping the running away game?"

"Yeah."

He ran his fingers through his hair and rested his head on her shoulder. "I want that to repeat so badly, for everything to go off without a hitch. This isn't something we can repeat. I mean, when are we going to get _everyone _together again?"

"I know what you mean," Jason Lee Scott replied from the doorway. He was holding a box of chocolates. "For the wedded to be, and its about time."

Emily stepped in after him and brought her own smile to the room. "I thought for so long that Tommy Oliver would be married to the girl of his dreams so much sooner."

"So did I," Tommy realized.

"There have been an awful lot of weddings lately," Kim interjected. "I hope this doesn't put anyone out."

"Hey, at least people are bothering to come to yours." Jason punched Tommy playfully on the shoulder.

Emily took Kim's hand, "The union of two people in love isn't something you can get sick of."

"I know, but three weddings in a year. Even for us, that's pretty intense." Tommy picked up a discarded textbook and threw it onto his shelf in the corner of the room. He spoke, in addition to himself, of Jason and Emily, and the surprise of the group, Conner and Krista.

"If you ask me, I think there are some others that need to happen soon or I'm going to commit myself to the loony bin," Tanya Sloan kicked open the screen door and let herself in. She could barely stand the fact that so many of the rangers were in serious romantic relationships but were too afraid, or too unsure of their position to make the commitment. She felt that she'd done the responsible thing with Adam, realized that it just wasn't worth the heartache to dance around marriage any longer.

"Yeah," Aisha Campbell followed with her hands full of party favors. "At least we can finally scratch you two off the list."

Adam Park and Rocky DeSantos headed in through the back door and hooked up the strobe light they'd found for the reception.

"We're all so glad you guys could make it here to help us out with the final preparations. Things are so crazy right now. We have almost a hundred people on the guest list and it's just amazing."

"So, have we decided whether to save a seat for Billy's significant other this time around?"

They still had no idea if Billy Cranston's wife Cestria, or whatever she was, was attending with him.

"Last time I checked she was still on the list," Zack Taylor shouted from the back room of the house where he was making popcorn with his wife Angela. Their two-year-old twins Damien and Patrick were at their grandmother's house for the night. "Seems like they've got some new portable self-hydration devices there now."

Tommy kissed Kim's forehead. "Well, maybe this time things will actually work out the way we'd planned."

Jason smiled from his spot on the arm of the sofa. "Hey, if the rest of us could make marriage work, so can you."

Kimberly looked down at the carpeted floor suddenly and seemed lost in thought for a moment. "You guys think we'll finally all be the family we've wanted to be for so long?"

Aisha nodded. "Zordon told us the Power would always link and protect us. This is one of those times when we get to find out if that's true."

"I hope the church is ready when we get there..." Tommy groaned. "Last time I went to a wedding there the place wasn't ready..."

"Who's getting cold feet but the great Tommy Oliver himself!" Jason smirked. He loved seeing this side of Tommy, realizing that there really was something other than being late to class that could make Tommy an emotional roller coaster.

"Not cold feet, just nervous feet."

Kim smiled. "Aw, that's so sweet."

The door clicked open, and Billy made his way inside. "Got room for one more?" he asked, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the loads of food covering the counter spaces and the bodies all over the sofas.

Kim made her way to the door and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "It's so great to see you, Billy."

Tommy looked up from his newspaper that he'd been trying to focus on for the last three hours. "Hey, man. Glad you're here." He stood up just long enough to give his friend a hug before his legs gave out again.

"Looks like your suffering from a temporary acute peripheral neuropathy," Billy called as he pulled a soda out of the refrigerator.

"What?" Jason asked.

"Weakness of the legs," Tommy said humbly, realizing that after a doctorate in science, Billy's logic made a lot more sense.

"Hey, where's Trini?" Billy asked, noting that she was absent from the group.

"She said she's got to take some stuff to Los Angeles today with Rich and that she'll be back tonight," Kim replied.

Billy nodded. "Guess things are going okay with them, then?"

"I guess," Adam said. "I called her the other day and she said she still didn't know anything about a proposal. I can't tell if she's upset about that or if she's just ignoring it right now because of her new job and this whole shebang." The two of them had moved in together a few months ago after Richie's divorce.

"Speaking of okay, where's you know who?" Aisha asked, prodding Billy's chest with her index finger.

"Oh, Cestria?"

"Who else?"

"She'll be here eventually, don't worry. I'm not really sure when she's planning on making an appearance, you know how complicated things are..."

"Only as complicated as you make them, Billy," Jason said calmly.

"Well..."

"Billy, what the hell are you two doing?" Zack asked bluntly. "Half the time you're here on Earth teaching at the college like there's no other life for you and the next minute you've left the planet for a couple years."

"Cestria doesn't want to leave Aquitar, and I don't really want to stay."

"That's an issue, man," Jason pointed out.

"Don't tell me, tell that to her. I'm the one who jumps around all the time. She could come with me more if she wanted to. She just doesn't, and I'm not really sure why. Breathing isn't really an issue anymore, not with the hydrators I helped build."

"Maybe you ought to tell her how you feel," Emily suggested.

"Yeah, tell her she's being a queen bee and you want her to give you some leeway, Zack does that to me all the time," Angela said, kissing Zack.

Zack blushed a clear crimson despite his chocolate skin.

Billy didn't seem all that convinced.

"Aw, Billy, don't worry, you'll figure it out," Kim told him.

He smiled. "Yeah, sure I will." It was clear he wasn't happy at all. "Guys, I'd just like to say I'm really sorry I left for Aquitar that time without saying a proper goodbye. It was really dumb, I was really dumb."

"You're a lot of things, Billy, but dumb isn't one of them. You had to go, and you chose to stay for a good reason. We don't blame you for anything." Tanya gave him a hug.

"I've been meaning to ask," Billy said, quickly changing the subject, "Where's Kat?"

"She got a late flight, she probably won't make it until tomorrow just before the ceremony," Tommy told them. "I talked to her, she said that David had a case this morning so they couldn't fly out until noon."

Billy nodded. "How's her dance company?"

"Same-o same-o," Kim said. "Seems like it's doing fine."

"Oh."

Jason coughed. "Love the air all of the sudden, nice and awkward."

Tommy stood up. "Maybe we should all get out of here for a while. You know how crowded tiny houses can get."

Jason followed him to the door. "Yeah, I agree."

"Don't worry about Cestria, I'm sure she'll pull through," Adam whispered to Billy as they walked outside after the rest of the crew.

"Thanks Adam."

If Billy's expression was any indication, he didn't seem too convinced.

* * *

"Oh, wow," Aisha exclaimed. "It's the day of the wedding."

Kim sat up immediately from her seat at the picnic table in the park. "Oh, crap."

"Hey, calm down, its not like he can really see you anyway."

"There are streetlights, Aisha!" she said shrieking.

Tanya stood up and her and Aisha hustled Kim toward the car. Emily and Angela followed them, realizing that the bachelorette party, about a good five feet away from the bachelor's party, was over.

Jason, Zack, and Adam called goodnight to their wives from the other side of the cottonwood tree. Rocky said something in Aisha's direction, while Billy and Tommy sat in silence, lost to their incredibly complicated thoughts.

"Okay, you two look like a block of frozen ice. What's up with this? Tomorrow, well today, is supposed to be a happy day, not a 'mope because I think I'm going to die or get a divorce' day."

Billy snapped his head up. "God, I need another beer."

"Sorry man, all gone," Jason shook the empty case.

Tommy fidgeted with his earring. "I wonder what it will feel like up there."

"It feels absolutely amazing," Zack promised.

"Like your on top of the world," added Adam.

"Sometimes it feels like your going to die, then you realize you can't because she's so beautiful," Jason reassured.

"And at least you're wedding is going to be normal," Billy finished. He was reminded of the fishy shrills that served as the choir on Aquitar. He remembered Delphine's soprano like he remembered watching too many scary movies as a kid. Cestria had loved it though, getting to have fifty bridesmaids fix her black hair into an ebony waterfall.

"Feels like I'm gonna be the lone bachelor." Rocky punched Tommy on the shoulder. "You're gonna need to get me a girl for this one, Tommy."

"Yeah, well there's a nice one who just left that's been your friend for twenty years that seems like she'd qualify."

"Aisha?" Rocky balked. "I..."

"Like her a lot?" Jason observed.

"I mean I..."

Adam stifled a chuckle. "Gotta admit, you've always had a thing for her."

"Have not."

"Uhum," Zack said quietly. "Even I could see it when we first met you guys."

"I was fifteen years old!"

"Now you're thirty, what's the big deal?"

"That's completely mean, you guys."

"You know, it's amazing that a guy who runs a self defense studio can be so defensive. Rocko, my man, you know you love her, and I'll bet you a part of her is waiting for you to say something." Jason shrugged. "I'll bet you sixty bucks that by the end of the week I can get Emily to have Aisha tell her she cares about you. And not in the _friend _way."

* * *

Kimberly collapsed on her bed still in her shorts and red halter top. Aisha sat down beside her. "You gonna sleep in your clothes"

"Eh," Kim moaned.

Tanya and Emily stood at the door. "Kim?"

"I don't care," Kim moaned. "I'm beat."

Angela had brought the car up in the garage and met them inside. "Sleepover?"

"I haven't had a sleepover since Kim moved to Florida," Aisha said.

"Well?" Tanya asked.

"You girls can have Tommy's half of the bed."

"I don't think we'll all fit, honey," Angela observed.

"I'm gonna go make up the couches if someone wants to help," Emily said.

Tanya and Angela followed Emily out. "I'll give you some time to catch up," Tanya told Kim and Aisha.

Aisha rested her head on the pillow next to Kim. "I remember when you first came to live with me and my family. I was so happy that I nearly, just nearly, cleaned the house."

Kim smiled. "Yeah, that was really great of you to take me in after Mom moved."

"I guess we both ended up someplace scary at the end of that year." Aisha reflected on Kim's decision to train for the Pan Global Gymnastic Games and leave Angel Grove. Not much later, Aisha had made the same decision, to stay in Africa after finding her Zeo Subcrystal.

"I still can't believe you moved to Africa."

"I still can't believe you actually won Pan Global."

"Goodnight, Aisha."

"Goodnight, Kim."

* * *

Katherine Hillard made it off the plane at five in the morning, stumbling after her husband David, a lawyer from London.

"Hey, look, we bloody made it!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, we did." Kat picked up her bag and headed for the terminal where she'd been promised someone would make it to pick them up.

The Angel Grove airstrip had been expanded dramatically since her first time flying in. She remembered it as if it had been yesterday.

"So where's this church?" David asked, taking her hand with his spare.

"You remember the street where the Youth Center and the school are, right?"

"Sure."

"We'll it's right there."

"Oh, the big fancy one with the pinnacles?"

"Yep, that would be the one."

"They've really outdone themselves."

"They have a big guest list," Kat said, laughing. She was happy that she had chosen a small family wedding and not invited everyone.

Kat recognized the blue Toyota Corolla that Jason had driven the year before at the school reunion. "Wow, Tommy actually sent his best man to get us."

Jason honked a greeting their way and rolled down the window. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself, Jase."

Kat climbed in the front seat, and David took the back with their suitcases.

"I'm probably going to have to drop you off at the motel and head over to the church," Jason told her. "Sorry, this was sort of last minute."

She noticed his spiffy tuxedo and nodded. "I can tell. How's Em?"

"She's great, got some new clothes coming out this winter."

"And you?"

"Still working as a paramedic, not a whole lot of news. What about you?"

"Dancing, love it."

"Dave?"

"Oh, just got a big new case, very excited, thanks."

Jason drove up to the Angel Grove Inn, the nicest place to stay in the whole city.

"Tommy and Kim got us rooms at the Angel Grove Inn?" Kat was stunned. She knew that the fare for one night alone was enough to make her purse itch in protest.

"Yeah, poor bastard's gonna be flat broke soon at the rate those two have been going through her gymnastics money and his crappy salary at the high school."

David helped Jason grab their bags from the trunk.

"Thanks, Jason. I'll see you later," Kat gave him a quick hug and he dashed back into the car and off up Johnson Blvd. to Frank Avenue.

Kat headed off to the front desk and grabbed their key cards. "Okay, we've got an hour and a half to get ready before we have to head over to the church."

* * *

By the time Kira Ford and Trent Fernandez-Mercer made it down the stairs from their suite at the Inn, a limousine was already waiting outside. Kira fixed the trail of her knee length yellow and black halter dress and ran her fingers through her crimped hair. Trent fixed the collar of his shirt in a similar fashion. For some undisclosed reason, they were both exceptionally anal about looking good for Tommy's wedding. Maybe it was the fact that he used to be their teacher, that he hadn't been their teacher for a long while, that made them feel somewhat nervous.

Conner McKnight and his wife, Krista followed them outside, Conner leading Krista in her red halter that went mid-calf on one side and full length on the other. "How do we look?" Conner asked, showing off his new suit. "Do I still look like a soccer jock?"

"No, you look very nice," Kira said, despite wanting to yell, _You'll always be a soccer jock. _

Krista smiled. "I feel so weird, being invited to Doctor O's wedding... I mean Tommy..."

Conner smiled. "Hey, this is the least weird of all the events we'll ever have, so count your blessings, Kris." He leaned in an gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Where's Ethan?" Trent asked, noticing the empty fourth slot in their habitual square.

"Holy freaking cow!" Ethan James exclaimed, seeing the limo for the first time. "Where'd Doc get the dough?"

"I might have had something to do with it."

Ethan turned, to see Wesley Collins walking down the path toward them.

"Oh, and there should be three of them..." Wes made his way past them and began to talk to the driver.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "I can't believe this..."

"Good morning, guys," Kat called, coming down with David. "What time did you arrive?"

"Last night," Kira told her. "This place was a zoo. You'd think the Pope was here or something."

"Hey, I don't know if I like to be compared with hairy zoo animals."

Kira saw Dustin Brooks walking their way with Kelly Holloway, the girl who ran Storm Chargers, the Blue Bay Harbor local motocross shop, that she could barely get the men away from when the visited.

"How about unhairy animals?" Conner suggested.

"Very funny guys," Tori Hanson said smugly, tugging Blake Bradley's hand along behind her. She was wearing a white and light blue two piece dress that left a nice amount of skin at her midriff and accentuated her surfer's body.

Shane Clarke and Cam Watanabe were helping Hunter Bradley, Blake's adoptive brother, with his tie, some way back.

David left to go help them, being the most tie-savvy of the group.

It was rather awkward standing on the sidewalk waiting for the limos to accept them in their formal attire, especially when they all felt somewhat out of place without their hokey spandex suits and comfy sneakers, attire that usually accompanied such group activity.

Wes reemerged a few minutes later, telling the assembling group that the limos were on their way, and that they would all be headed to the church soon.

More than half of the guests were still unaccounted for, either being inside, or still not in the city.

Wes's cell phone rang and he stepped aside to answer it. The number was unlisted. "Hello?" he asked, expecting a prank call. That wasn't at all unheard of now that he was CEO of BioLab.

"Look across the street," the voice called.

He placed the voice immediately and looked up. He was madly tempted to run out amongst the cars and greet her, hug her, kiss her so passionately that it would make his blood tingle.

"Jen," he whispered.

"Wesley."

"You look beautiful." She was standing parallel to him, her dress of silver sequins reflecting in the light. Her brown hair ran the length of her back in a braided twist. She had a duffel bag over one shoulder, as did the others. Lucas Kendall wore a tight-fitting blue dress shirt and black slacks, Trip Regis wore a brown suit. Katie Walker was elegant in a light purple thigh length dress that had over the shoulder sleeves.

Jen began walking across the street as soon as the nearest stoplight turned red and the traffic stopped. She made her way into his arms immediately, kissing him briefly. "I missed you as always."

He smiled at her. "I'm so glad you're all here."

"Good to see you all," Eric Myers added, coming outside. "It's been a while."

Katie gave Eric a quick hug. "Are you still dating Taylor?"

"Who, me, date that creep?" Taylor Earhardt laughed, coming outside. She wore her hair in a French braid and barrettes in her hair matching her blue dress. "Of course, Katie."

Eric wrapped his arm around Taylor's waist, in a reserved kind of way, knowing that it was complicated for either of them to show any real emotion in public. He was, well, Eric, and she was Taylor, always the military woman with the dark secrets as to why she'd always been slightly angry.

Alyssa Enrile stepped out into the sun, dazzling in her white dress and sun hat. Danny Delgado and Max Cooper followed her, testing the newest game on Max's PSP.

Kat looked over at them and silently reproached their immaturity.

Kendall, Danny's longtime crush but only recent live-in girlfriend, followed a distance behind Danny.

Cole Evans and Merrick Baliton came out after them, each feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sheer mass of faces they knew but didn't quite _know. _It was difficult to get to know anyone on personal level because of the lack of time before the wedding, and eventually everyone ended up in an awkward silence.

* * *

Finally, the limos appeared, as did several other stragglers, including the group from off-world; Leo Corbett and Kendrix Morgan came into the group, each looking calm despite the long teleport. Kai Chen and Damon Henderson stayed in the shade talking with Maya Zephyr and her close friends, Cole and Merrick. Mike Corbett made his way to Wes's side, realizing, that of everyone, he seemed to know best what was happening.

"Hey, Mike," Wes said, as the older Corbett brother came up beside him. He'd grown a goatee since Wes had last seen him in passing a few years prior.

"Hey, so what's the deal?"

"We're waiting around for all the sleepyheads so we can head over to the church."

"So he thinks the church is big enough?"

"It is, I checked myself earlier this morning. The place is freaking huge."

"What about the non-affiliated guests?"

"You mean those who don't know?"

"Yeah."

"To my knowledge there aren't any other than Ernie, and he won't be coming to the reception, something about a family thing in South Carolina. Elsa Randall knows, Anton Mercer knows, Bulk and Skull know, God save us. Honestly, I don't think they invited anyone else that isn't married to or seriously dating a ranger."

"No immediate family?"

"Kim's mom died in a car accident a while back. Her dad and brother can't make it. Tommy's half-brother David Trueheart also passed away a couple of years ago. I'm not sure what happened to his parents."

"Wow, and I thought Leo and I had a mess."

"Join the club," Wes said bitterly, realizing that his own parents wouldn't be coming to his wedding, if he ever married. His mother had died when he was young, and his father had just passed away a year and a half ago. Since then, he'd inherited the heavy burden of owning BioLab.

"Don't bring up old pain, Wes," Jen whispered into his ear. "Remember them, but don't carry them." She kissed his cheekbone just below the ear.

Wes looked over at Eric, who was showing off pictures of his new office before turning back to looking at the empty doorway. "Where are those guys?"

"Who are we waiting for?" Kat interjected.

"Apparently Nick's group is here, or at least they're supposed to be."

"Saw them last night!" somebody called from the formal clad crowd.

"Does somebody want to venture in and get them before we're late?"

"I'll go," Alyssa volunteered, heading inside and reappearing a few minutes later with Madison and Vida Rocca.

"Where are the guys?" Cole asked.

"Why don't you ask Nick?" Madison said, her eyes misty.

"Just don't worry about it, we're having some issues." Vida wheeled her sister around and began walking away.

Nick, Xander, and Chip showed up a few minutes later. "Girls," Xander said as loudly as he could.

"Grow up Xander, Bowen," Daggeron chided, following them out. "We don't need any of this today."

"It's Nick," Nick Russell replied bitterly.

"Hey, guys, this wedding is important to a lot of people here," Kat said sharply.

"Tell that to Mr. Mopey here," Xander Bly said to his fellow Aussie, "and his girl."

"Back off, Xander!" Nick shouted, his eyes blaring red for a moment.

Chip Thorn stayed clear of the verbal melee, telling himself it was better not to get involved.

"Okay, I think we can head over now," Wes called. "I want twelve people per limousine and be generous- no hogging half the seat!"

Jen liked this new, commandeering Wes. "Maybe the company has helped make you stronger than you think."

He rolled his eyes. "I swear, I'm this close..."

Jen worked her fingers around his shoulders. "Don't worry about it, Wes, they can handle themselves."

Kat shook her head, unsure. "The reception is going to be...interesting."

* * *

"I need the groomsmen to the front!" called the wedding coordinator.

"That's me," Jason told Emily, standing up and heading to the stairs at the front of the church. Billy, Adam, Rocky, and Zack followed.

"Wow, its gonna be fancy up there!" TJ Johnson called from the doorway, letting himself into his designated second pew. Cassie Chan followed him, careful not to slip on her heels and slice the bottom of her new dress.

Carlos Vallerte smiled up at Justin, who was following him. "One of the big men now,eh!"

Justin threw a thumbs up at him as he entered the pew, where he could now sit without looking like a shrimp.

Ashley Hammond and Andros filed in the pew next, taking in the severity of the church compared to the smallish humble place where they'd said "I do" in a few years earlier, at least on Earth.

Karone and Zhane nodded, realizing exactly what was going through their heads. "This place is pretty big."

"Largest church in Angel Grove," the pianist said quietly. "You guys from around here?"

"Um, not really," Zhane said, not at all sure he wanted to bring up the fact that KO-35 wasn't a military compound on Earth, like most people thought when it accidentally slipped out.

A woman in a pressed black suit came over to them and made them verify their names for the guest book.

"Zhane, with a Zh..."

"Last name, sir."

Zhane shot a glare at Andros.

"What'd you put on your driver's license?" Andros whispered.

"Nimmo?"

Karone kicked his foot.

"Zhane Nimmo, ma'am."

"And you miss?" she asked.

"Karone, I'm his wife."

"Same name?"

"I actually didn't change it, so I guess it's..."

"Crap," she whispered to Andros. "What's your last name?"

"Khayman," he said quietly.

"Like the Islands? No? Fine, got y'all, enjoy the ceremony." The woman walked away, clearly disturbed by the antics that had followed her simple task.

Ashley smiled at them. "You guys really need to work on that one."

"Well, we never use the names," Zhane said.

"Oh, my God," Cassie said suddenly. "Isn't that Miss Applebee from school over by the piano."

TJ looked over. "Yeah, the English teacher."

Emily turned around to look at them and winked. "She had the easiest class in the world."

A large man and a smaller man walked in and stopped at the door. The woman with the guest book came over immediately. "Names, please, sirs."

"Farkas Bulkmeier."

"Eugene Skullovich."

"Right, your first row on the end right next to Mrs. Scott."

Bulk and Skull nodded and headed over.

"We bought sixteen pies for the reception, just like Tommy told us," Skull said to Emily.

"That's great Skull."

Richie, Trini's boyfriend smiled over at them. "Sixteen pies?"

"Bulk eats a lot of pie, and there are a lot of people."

"Sure," David said, taking in Bulk's size.

Angela looked over at Bulk and Skull, and tried her hardest not to break out laughing right in the church.

A continuous clack told them that everyone else was starting to trickle inside.

"I hope Kat made it on time to do her thing," David said.

"Bridesmaids!" the coordinator called.

Kat, Aisha, Tanya, and Trini appeared in their matching dresses on the stairs parallel to the men.

"Okay, match up and head over to the curtain."

Jason stepped back and let the others form three four pairs.

"Best man, you'll be standing on the top step with the bride and groom."

Jason followed them out just as Pachelbel Canon in D began on the piano.

The other guests began pouring in, much to the dismay of the guest book lady who had to stop the single file line and tell everyone where to sit.

"Name?"

"Carter Grayson," "Row three right"

"Dana Mitchell," "Right next to Mr. Grayson, please."

Dana and Carter walked together toward the pew to sit behind Leo and Kendrix.

"Chad Lee and Marina," "Joel Rawlings, Angela Fairweather," "Ryan Mitchell, Kelsey Winslow."

By the time everyone was seated, they'd been waiting for almost half an hour. The last people seated were Andrew and Mack Hartford and the rest of the Overdrive team, along with Cestria, who appeared just before the ceremony and sat with Karone.

"Please rise," the officiator called, taking his place on the top stair.

The audience was surprised to hear a choir up above singing a few notes.

"Enter procession."

Pachelbel turned into Wedding March and the first person out on the floor was Tommy walking with Jason, who was leading Zack's twins and Joel's little girl as ring bearers and flower-girl.

Zack followed with Trini on his arm. Then Billy and Kat, Rocky and Aisha, lastly followed by Adam and Tanya.

The procession stopped and turned. No one knew who was walking Kim, and it had been a widely held debate all morning.

Kimberly started walking toward them, her white dress perfectly fitting her body. She was being walked by her father, whom everyone thought wasn't going to make it to the ceremony at all.

He let go of Kim's hand at the end of the aisle and walked off to the back and sat next to Max, who had an open seat next to him that no one had been able to figure out.

"We are gathered here today this 15th day of June to join Thomas Oliver and Kimberly Ann Hart in holy matrimony. Are there any here who would speak against this union?"

_Please don't let someone walk through those doors and tell us Angel Grove has been attacked. _

"As it is willed, so shall it be. Thomas Oliver do you take this woman, Kimberly, to be your wife, to love and to hold forever?"

"I do," he said, feeling more nervous in that moment than ever.

"And do you Kimberly Hart take this man, Tommy, to be your husband?"

"I do," Kim said clearly, holding his hand tighter.

"The groom would like to say a few words to his new bride."

Tommy looked at Kimberly, into her blue eyes, and felt the nervousness melt away. "I first met you in Angel Grove in 1993. Of all the people I met on my first day here, you were the kindest, the most beautiful in soul and body. I dreamed I'd marry you then, and of course the world had other plans. But I'm here today, Kim. We've made it through so much together, and I honestly believe I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for your love and support." He slipped the ring on her finger, and she slipped on his.

"You may kiss your bride."

Tommy smiled. "You give me hope, Kim."

He lifted her veil and kissed her until the songs changed and the choir rose up with a song that no one could place, but sent chills down their spines.

"In holy matrimony are thee wed." The priest finalized.

"Reception to follow at Angel Grove Park in one hour," someone said over the intercom in a booming voice. "Please exit in a timely manner."

* * *

"Isn't it beautiful, Mack?" Andrew asked.

"My first wedding," he realized, although he still remembered a cousin's wedding when he was a boy that hadn't really existed.

"Yes, your first wedding."

Andrew realized a tear was rising in his son's eye.

Rose leaned over and gave Mack a hug. "Someday a wonderful girl will kiss you like that."

"Yeah, and it doesn't take a ranger to know that somebody is gonna get someone really special," Ronny added.

Mack smiled, feeling in that moment incredibly human, like he'd always been.


	2. Chapter 2: Lives Changed

Lives Changed: At the Reception

The park was perfect that day, with a slight breeze that made the lake ripple and cast a nice current that kept the heat at bay.

Jack Landors loosened his tie and sat down at one of the several adjoining tables that had been set up for the reception. Sky Tate followed him and noticed that he wasn't as happy as he should be.

"Can I ask what's wrong?" Sky asked, realizing that at the moment he outranked Jack at SPD and could probably force it out of him if he was so inclined.

"Ally," he said.

"Is she okay?" Sky asked, helping himself to an apple.

"Yeah, man, she's fine, I just miss her already."

"She must be one hell of a girl for you to up and leave us like that, Jack. I couldn't believe it when you gave Doggie your resignation."

"Sorry I did that, but it was important for me to do what I thought I could do best."

"I understand why you did it. Z doesn't quite understand, but the rest of us do. One thing I don't understand is why you haven't bothered keeping in touch these last few years. We see you once or twice in six months."

"You're not exactly an easy man to find, Sky."

"I'm there most of the time, but Bridge says you never call, you never come over, and well, frankly, we feel a little abandoned."

"I don't really belong there anymore, do you understand that?"

"Not really."

"When I walked out that door I told myself I wasn't a part of SPD anymore. I told myself I couldn't ride the fence, Sky, and I know I can't."

"Once a ranger..."

"Always a ranger? I don't know about that. If you decided to leave SPD its not like they'd give you your job back." Jack's facial expression turned from one of contemplation to one confusion and doubt as quickly as Sky blinked.

"If I wanted to take some time for myself and come back, I know they wouldn't turn me away. You should know that too. That's why you're here with us, Jack."

"I was such an ass to you, we never really got along that well, why are you trying to be friendly?"

"Because it's the right thing to do, Jack. And, to be honest, I do miss seeing you around." Sky sat back against the metal chair. "Don't tell me you don't miss it too."

"Sometimes I do. But I have obligations to my family."

"I wasn't aware you had a family."

"Ally."

"So, what is it about Ally? Are you going to marry her?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

"Jack, you've been dating her for four years. Don't you think that's long enough to know if you want that or not?"

"Look at the wedding we just attended, those two have been an item for way too long."

"This isn't about Tommy and Kim, this is about you. What do you want, Jack?"

"Sky?"

"Yeah?"

"Ally's pregnant."

Schuyler looked up. "Say what?"

Jack stuffed a handful of peanuts in his mouth.

"Man, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I feel trapped, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Are you upset about it?"

"Honestly, I have no idea how I feel."

Sky put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Is she happy about it?"

"She's already built the nursery, so yeah, I guess."

"How far is she?"

"Six months."

"See what I mean about lack of communication?"

"Uhum."

"It will be okay, Jack. If you love her, it will be okay."

"Thanks Sky," Jack said, putting on a happier face. "I guess all I needed was someone to reinforce that idea. Look, and again, I'm sorry I'm such a jerk. You don't deserve it."

Sky watched Jack walk away toward Z and Bridge. He wasn't quite sure what to think.

* * *

"Everyone gather 'round!" Jason called. "I want to propose a toast to the bride and groom!"

The mass of bodies made their way toward the tables and sat down.

"This is to Tommy and Kim, the biggest procrastinators in the whole wide world. We all know that this wedding could have happened a long time ago. Let this be a lesson to others, if you love a guy, don't write him a Dear John letter senior year, because it's really gonna suck thinking it's over for the next ten years when it never really was."

"Amen!" Tanya yelled.

Adam smiled at her boisterousness and stood up to propose his own toast. "I'd like to say congratulations to Tommy and Kim for making it here. I know that making things work out a second time isn't easy, and you guys are really an inspiration to all of us."

"I'd like to toast to Tommy and Kim for being great friends all these years, and to Tommy for telling me I could get back out there and do what I love even after I hurt my back, because otherwise I might not be here today, laughing and enjoying life with all of you." Rocky stood up and gave Tommy and Kim both hugs.

"Congrats to Tommy and Kim for making it to their reception in one piece," Aisha toasted.

"Congratulations!" the guests toasted in unison.

Kim took the knife and cut the cake with Tommy, and within the next couple of hours it was completely devoured except for the blown glass figurines of a crane and a falcon that they'd bought for nostalgia.

* * *

"Why'd you come back, Nick?" Madison asked. "Why now?"

"I came back because it's the right thing to do."

"Like walking away was the right thing, Nick. I loved you, and it wasn't enough to make you stay. You gave me your blanket, so I must have meant something to you. Why didn't you trust in me enough to help you get through it?"

"I don't know, Madison, okay?" he turned on her. "Please, lets not make another scene."

"I'm not making a scene, Nick. I need to know why you're so afraid to look me in the eye and tell me that there was nothing to our relationship, because if you do, I swear I'll let it go. You won't have to explain anything else to me."

"No, Madison."

"No, what?"

"No, I don't have any feelings for you other than that of a friend."

"Then why don't I believe you?"

"Because you don't want to believe me."

"Hey, you two coming over? They're going to start games soon," Chip asked, realizing that they both needed someone to break the ice threatening to encompass both of them.

"In a minute," Madison said quickly.

"Kiss me, Nick, and then I'll know if you mean what you say. Kiss me like a friend or like a lover."

"I'm not going to kiss you, Maddie. We're at a wedding, we need to focus on the couple who actually matters here." His eyes were flaring in that way that Madison hated so much. His temper was reaching his magic again.

"Nick, you matter to me, and I see in your eyes that you are still suffering even after all this time. You call on the phone to tell us you're okay, but I know you're not. I miss you. You were supposed to go off with Leanbow and Udonna to find yourself, find a way to mix the two halves of your life, but I don't see that it happened."

"Maybe I did find the end I wanted, Maddie. Maybe this is exactly what I wanted, closure." His words came out like poison, the same sort of thickness that his motorcycle exhaust had been the moment he'd left Briarwood behind.

She turned away, looked at the lake. She knew that the hole in her heart was bigger than the pool of water. "You told me you'd come back, that Briarwood mattered to you. Sometime between that day you left with your parents, and today, that changed. I want to know when I lost you, Nick."

"Maybe we don't all have the mystic fate we thought we did, Madison." He walked away, joining Xander in a game of limbo. Limbo, that's where she felt like she existed.

"Hey, don't you think you ought to give Nick some time to realize how much he really misses this?" Vida came over and wrapped her arms around Madison's shoulders.

"It isn't like that, Vee. I can't give him any more time. He's had forever to explain what he found out there in that world that means more to him than what we built up in Briarwood. I don't know how much longer I can hold on."

"Maybe for today you shouldn't."

"I thought you were DJ for this thing."

"I am, but I'm your sister first. Don't let Nick ruin this for you."

Madison nodded. "Let's go." She accepted Vida's hand and told herself that she would try to make the day one that she would remember for being happy.

* * *

"You came," Billy told Cestria. "For a long time, I was absolutely certain that you wouldn't."

"It matters to you, doesn't it, Billy?" she said quietly. "Having me here matters to you?"

"Yes."

"Then that is why I am here."

"For how long?"

"Until you decide to leave."

Billy sat down on the grass beside her, stroked her bare leg. "What made you change your mind?"

"Aurico told me that you were irritated with me when you left. I believe he told me that the word 'divorce' was running through your mind. I don't want that, Billy."

Billy nodded. He didn't want it either, but the life on Aquitar that had once been invigorating and new, was now bothersome. He was separated from the world he was born to love. He was away from his family for too long. "I don't want that either, but I want you to understand how much I've given of myself staying in Aquitar for all those years. I need to be with my own kind too."

"All the water in the Eternal Falls cannot quench your thirst for this place."

"No."

"Then, we shall stay here, Billy." She looked over at Tommy and Kim and all Billy's other friends. "It's time Aquitar sacrificed a little for you."

* * *

"...and then from Paris we went to Stockholm, and Moscow, and Berlin, and Sydney, and we visited family in Columbia..."

"That sounds like fun," Dana said, listening intently to Danny and Max as they divulged the details of their wonderful world tour.

Ryan handed his sister a glass of champagne and sat down to listen to their muddled stories of past exploits. "Dad called," he told Dana. "Sounds like it's peaceful in Mariner Bay, so you and Carter can rest easy."

"Good doctors don't rest easy, Ryan," she took a stir stick and played with the ice in her glass.

"....so there was this famous actor there..."

"Why don't you go ask for a dance?" Ryan asked.

"Hum?" Dana said quizzically.

"Go dance with someone."

"Yeah, Dana," Kelsey said happily. "Get you groove on."

"Uh, I think I'll pass, thanks Kels." She turned back to Danny and Max, who were continuing their rant for whomever would listen.

"Well, I'm stealing your brother, so enjoy yourself." Kelsey took Ryan's hand and they went off to dance the Bunny Hop.

"...so you said you're a doctor....Dana?"

Danny was actually talking to her for a change.

"Oh, yeah. I work with kids mostly at my own clinic in Mariner Bay."

"That's handy; you're a ranger, and a doctor."

"Guess so," she said humbly.

"So, are you dating Carter?" Max asked.

Dana shrugged. "Not officially, we're just close friends."

"I heard your dad saved his life when he was a little boy."

"He used to be a firefighter, until the accident."

"You don't talk much," Max noticed.

"You guys just don't shut up," Taylor observed, grabbing a sandwich from the buffet.

Dana smiled up at Taylor.

"Can't you guys tell you're annoying her?"

"It's fine, Taylor, really, I'm just a little worn out."

Taylor didn't seem like she believed her. "Let me know if you need a bailout."

Dana seemed to think about it for a moment. "I think I'll follow you."

Kendall looked up, somewhat dismayed that she was being left alone with her boyfriend and his immaturity that came along with Max's presence.

"Max, get your butt up and come with us," Taylor turned and offered Max her hand. "I have a girl for you to dance with."

Danny smirked and went back to eating. Kendall seemed relieved that Max was gone, this wasn't lost to Danny. "You know, all you have to do is tell me I'm annoying you."

She looked up, clearly taken aback. "Danny..."

"Look, I don't see these guys much, so I take what fun I can get. If that bothers you, maybe you should leave."

"No, Danny, it's fine, really. It's just a part of who you are, I realize that."

"Humpf, sure you do." He pulled his chair back. "I'm gonna go visit, if you want to come I'm sure I can make the conversation about you."

Kendall didn't have a rebuttal. "Sorry, I'm just feeling like a fish out of water, maybe I'll go back to the motel for a while and watch movies."

"If that's what makes you happy," Danny told her. "I'll see you tonight, Kendall. But don't feel like you have to go."

She shook her head. "I do."

"That was a great way to treat your girlfriend, whom you've been oodling over for years and finally got to come to something with you," Alyssa remarked.

"She didn't appreciate the monumentality of our greatness on this day."

"You mean she didn't want to put up with being seen in public with you?"

"Yeah, basically."

"I think you need to stop here from walking away, right now, Danny Boy."

"You're probably right." He dropped his bag of chips in Alyssa's outstretched hand and broke off at a run.


	3. Chapter 3: Who We Are

Who We Are

"Okay, we have a great new game to try!" Zhane called, attempting to reach as far as he could without getting hoarse.

Karone seemed like she was regretting it already, as she covered her ears and acted like she hadn't heard what was in store for the poor souls of Tommy and Kim's reception.

"We're going to start with the newlyweds!" Zack continued. "The game goes like this; each person has to tell us what they've been doing so we can all get to know each other a little better and let the spouses get in a few cents. So, without further ado, I'm turning the microphone over to Tommy and Kim..."

Kimberly leaned in to Tommy's shoulder, tickling her nose on his corsage. "I think I know where we have to start," she told her audience. "I'm not really sure why I'm telling you guys this, but I think you all need to understand why I broke it off with Tommy in the first place. See, my dad was a business man and he traveled a lot, and I saw how long distance relationships end. My mom was a mess for a long time after the divorce, jumping from relationship to relationship. I didn't even want to try because I was too afraid it was going to end badly. So, to clear things up for all of you, I never stopped loving him. It wasn't about Tommy in any way; it was about my insecurities, and my need to get away from guilt about leaving my duties in Angel Grove behind. I felt like if I ran away from Angel Grove and put all my heart into gymnastics, I would escape the fate my parents had. If I never gave it a chance I couldn't get hurt. I was wrong; it took me all of about six months to realize I was miserable and alone. All the glory in the world wasn't enough to balance my life. I moved Paris two years later and started teaching young girls at a small studio. After a few tough months I realized that competing and teaching wasn't enough either. I needed a solid relationship in my life, one that wasn't based on who would leave first. My mother died that summer and I realized that my true home was here in California. There was nothing there for me in France, the people I needed were in Angel Grove and I'm here still."

With a slight pause she smiled over at her new husband, "So, as for Tommy, an interesting fact about him is that he actually didn't even like science until senior year. We all thought Tommy would get a degree in chronic tardiness or kicking ass. Then, I got a call one morning on my way to a gymnastics event saying Tommy had enrolled at AGU as paleontology major. I fell off the balance beam twice just thinking about it. The day he graduated with his doctorate I was teaching a seminar in Los Angeles. I actually fainted for a couple minutes."

Tommy crinkled his nose and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, it's true. I don't have any idea what made me want to research fossils for a living. And to be honest I have no idea why I started doing lab work other than the amazing opportunity to work hands-on with Anton Mercer. But I guess I never would have met some of the most important people in my life if I hadn't. One more fact about me is that I didn't actually go to my high school graduation." Tommy groaned. "Yeah, I know, I'm a big freaking idiot. I was too busy racing cars to go to one of the biggest events in my life. So, if you ever have kids who decide they don't want to go to graduation, hit them over the head with something and wake them up when the ceremony begins."

"Jason and I married last year after knowing each other almost as long as Tommy and Kim," Emily said calmly as she took the microphone from the bride. "We'd split up after he moved away, and I later found out he'd joined the military and had served for several years in Iraq. He now works as an EMT paramedic here in Angel Grove."

Jason took over with a commanding but comforting push. "I'm not going to glorify my life in any way. I'm going to say right now that if I hadn't been as well trained as I was, I probably would have died out there, and I know plenty of good men and women who did. I took one lesson from that point in my life, and that is that enemies come as much from within as they do from out there." He pointed to the sky. "I was always a bravado kind of guy in school; I thought I was better than a lot of people because I was strong and fit. I learned the hard way that it doesn't matter who you are when someone with a different set of beliefs wants you dead. I got dropped down a couple rungs, and let me tell you, it's been great knowing that I don't have to be the best, that I can only do as much as I can. We can't save everyone, but we can save ourselves." He turned toward Emily. "I came back from my time in the service with a chip on my shoulder that I know will never heal. I've been different since I saw the enemy lines drawn by two sides of the same coin. I wanted to stop the fighting but I knew the only people who could change that world were the people living there. I can't save lives by taking them, and so I resigned my post and now work as a paramedic here in Angel Grove where I hope I can save a few more lives."

"Zack was the most hopelessly romantic guy in school. He'd follow me around like a lost puppy, doing silly things to get my attention," Angela smiled over at him, brushing a dandelion seed from his hair. "Every time he did something to woo me the world would come crashing down on him. I was so mean to him back then; I don't know why he bothered to look me up when he came back from Switzerland." She turned away for a moment. "But something made him forgive me and my cruelty and gave us a chance to have beautiful sons together."

Zack took her hand and held it as he spoke, "I used to tell my students that Hip Hop Aikido was an Olympic sport just so they'd sign up. I remember when one kid caught me and said that Aikido and Hip Hop are two different things and that I was full of crap. I told the kid, 'If you want to combine things that you love, who's going to stop you', and that's my philosophy on life. That's how I want to teach our sons, to be passionate. All my life I've been trying not to give up on passion. Angela was a passion and I knew I'd never live with myself if I gave up on her."

"When I met Trini we were both too shy to ask each other out, and the next thing I know she's leaving the country. The thing you need to know most about her is that she'll do anything for any of you. She is the most selfless person I have ever met. She'll meet someone on the street who needs help and she'll give it, no questions asked," Richie lauded. "When I met her for the second time at a kiddy league game where my son was playing I didn't have any words to express how much I wanted to find something to say to her, anything. I was reeling from a divorce from his mother and was feeling like the world was upside down. That was when she came over and started talking like we'd never been apart. She told me about Switzerland and coming home and how she'd been to Asia to visit her relatives and how she'd never married. She asked me about my son and me. She made me feel more alive than ever."

"Richie is too kind," Trini acquiesced. "If you want to know something about me, know that the most important things to me are honesty and friendship. What we do with those things is up to us, but we can do great things with them. I began martial arts when I was little because it gave me a way to channel the energies of the world, make myself more in touch with my purpose in life. That's all I want from you, for all of you guys to find the purpose in life that makes you happy. I was given a second chance with Richie for some reason, and I hope that each and every one of you gets a second chance like I did."

"I met Billy on the brink of death, yet even then he had some new idea to give to the world. He is brilliant, humble, caring, he gives so much to me and my homeland. I want you all to know that if Billy wished it, he could bring this world to its knees, make the people wonder at the power of his intellect, but he chooses instead the stay in the shadows, anonymously helping people better themselves. This is how Billy exists." Cestria stood up in front of the group, not taking her eyes of Billy.

"My life's work has been, and will continue to be, creating things that make a difference in how we live. My first inventions were toys made out of house junk. Now I just helped the people of Aquitar make hydrators that will allow them to travel to planets without water, allow them freedom. I see using the gifts I was given as a duty, rather than a right, and it's people like my wife that make me want to continue." Billy looked down on the people sitting on the green grass of his hometown and realized at that moment that there was no other place in the universe that would ever mean as much to him.

"I don't think a lot of you know this, but Rocky's family went through some tough times when he was little. His father, a Mexican immigrant had to return home for a while due to a problem with his citizenship. After that, Rocky felt like he needed a way to take control of his life, so he started martial arts. All these later, he still teaches karate to his students in the way he learned, by letting it become a means by which to cope with pain, and without taking it out on others." Aisha put a comforting hand on Rocky's shoulder.

"Aisha's right. I went through some pretty hard stuff as a young boy. But I think the hardest times I had was right before graduation when I hurt my back in a karate competition. I wasn't thinking, and a biffed an aerial kick. If I'd landed any worse, I could have been paralyzed from the neck down. The doctors told me that I might be out of karate for the rest of my life, depending on the damage. I'm not going to lie to any of you, there was a period of about four days when I contemplated suicide. I'd lost my role as a ranger to a much younger newbie, my friends weren't there to keep me company, and I didn't have the freedom to take my pain out on the punching bags I had at home. I couldn't keep my eye on the ball anymore. I don't want anyone to ever feel that way. It's a scary place to be, and the worst thing is that I knew I didn't have to be there." He turned and stared at Tommy, a tiny hint of blame crossing his eyes that was masked immediately even though he knew that without him he'd have never made it out of the darkness. "However, this isn't about delving into every detail of my long dark descent. Aisha's most interesting attribute, I find, is that she wasn't afraid to leave home and try something completely new. She wanted to branch out and work to protect the animals in Africa because she felt that they were a part of her heritage, a piece of her homeland that was irreplaceable."

"African animals are some of the most exotic and beautiful creatures in the world. They range from the largest, to the fastest, to the strangest. I made it my life's work to encourage others to fight for the protection of these amazing beings. I now work from the States as a freelance activist, going to conferences, writing articles for magazines and newsletters, and I have adopted several animals from nearby shelters, all in the hope that someday people will realize how big an impact animals have on our lives." Aisha watched casually as everyone took interest in her words. Kelsey gave her thumbs up and several of the men blew kisses.

Adam took the mike from Aisha and started, "Tanya always wanted to be a singer, from the moment we met her in Africa, she told us she wanted to be the next big pop artist. I thought they were sweet dreams when I met Tanya, the dreams of a naive teen like myself. But she made it happen. Tanya beat the odds."

"Adam always supported me and my crazy endeavors. He told me to never forget that I could do it, even if he didn't believe I could. When I was a little girl I had to dream big because I was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. It was really bad when I was a young girl, I'd be very weak, and sometimes I wouldn't be able to get up for days. Luckily, it seemed to dissipate with time, and now I don't have such a big problem." She gaged expressions as some of her closest friends learned something entirely new about her. "Adam told me he had a similar experience as a young boy. He came down with pneumonia that almost killed him at five years old. I guess we all have to face difficulties to make us stronger. Like Rocky, he started Shaolin Kung Fu to gain control of himself."

Adam made a funny expression at the teams, "Yeah, about the pneumonia, I'd just like to say if any of you ever get that sick, call me, my parents have a mean cup of tea that will suck the lungs completely dry. So, like Tanya said, I'm a busy guy co-owning the dojo and volunteering at the youth alcoholism prevention center." He looked over at Tori, Kira, Xander, and Bridge, "One last shout out to say it was great working with the retro team."

David took the microphone from Adam and started on his wife, "Kat moved to Angel Grove because of her dad's job. I don't know how many of you know that she used to dive for the Australian team in international events when she was in high school until she had an injury where she hit her head on the board. It took her a long time to face her fear of water and move on to other passions of hers. Kat now is a ballet instructor, following her other interests, at the Royal Academy of Ballet in my home city of London."

"Dance is meditation for me. It helps me process the thoughts in my head. And quite frankly, I danced a lot the night I was told these two were engaged. It's no secret how I felt about Tommy, and a part of me will always feel that way. I want them to be happy, though, and dancing the night away, feeling the rhythm of the music and the flow of my feet helped me put my head on straight. It gets me past the emotions that hurt me. It made me realize that David is a great guy and that we can do great things together. It made me realize that no matter where I am in the world, my family is with me, in the floor, in the music, in my heart."

"Great to see all of you again, I'm Cassie Chan. I remember meeting TJ on a bus. I was annoying him with my singing. He was the only one who didn't look at me like a freak. He supported me and I tried my best not to tell him he was crazy. I still can't believe how we came into this life. I've certainly changed a lot since I became the Pink Ranger. I've gone to college and received a degree in Music Education. I now work as the Executive Director of Music at the Angel Grove Center for the Arts."

"Hey all, I'm TJ Johnson if you don't already know that. I'm currently the Branch CEO of Angel Grove Bank and Trust. I also coach a kiddy league baseball team in my free time. So, if you need someone to handle your money in these tough times, I'll try not to embezzle any of your funds." A few weak laughs escaped the crowd. " So, yeah, I'm pretty much a normal guy. I went to Business school at UCLA, and went home."

"Hey, I'm Carlos Vallerte, I work as a police officer for Angel Grove and the surrounding area. I've been on the force for about nine years now. I also have a degree in Physical Education and a minor in Spanish. Let's see... I was born and raised here in Angel Grove with my three sisters. I lived in LA for three years while I went to college. I was engaged to a girl I met there, but we called it off when we realized that we weren't the right people for each other."

"I'm Justin Stewart, I was officially the youngest ever ranger. I finished up high school while everyone else was off starting their lives. I graduated in 2000 and went to MIT. I now have a degree in mechanical engineering and I work for EcoLast, a new alternative energy company south of town. My dad now owns his own company in Stone Canyon where he sells cell phones so he can stop flying out every few hours and moving around so much."

"Hello, I'm Ashley Hammond. I married Andros about five years ago and we now split our time between our homes on KO-35 and here in Angel Grove. I am currently working as a mentor at Angel Grove High. I coach the cheerleading squad and help the students during their study periods. I am currently getting my degree in youth counseling."

"I'm Andros. I am currently the Earth liaison for KO-35. I don't have a specific degree like everyone else here, but I'm about the same as one of your diplomats. I spend most of my time settling disputes between the government and the rebel factions on my home world. Not much else to say..."

"Hope I don't bore you all," Karone smiled. "I'm Karone, and unfortunately you probably all know more about my past than I would like. Lucky for me, this isn't about who we were, but who we are trying to be. I'm working with Zhane on KO-35 to improve our relations with off-world governments. Hopefully we're making some progress."

"Hey, I'm the guy who forgot his own name at the wedding. Karone pretty much summed up our lives. We're married and we live on KO-35 most of the time. We sometimes head over to Mirinoi or come here, depending on our work at the time."

"I'm Leo Corbett. I have a partial degree from Angel Grove University in English. I never finished it because I decided Terra Venture was more exciting and a little off limits." Mike winked at him from the audience. "Right now I am working on developing a space program on Mirinoi with the rest of my team. It's coming along nicely, but the project has taken more time than any of us expected. Kendrix and I are married and have two parrots, but are not expecting any kids." Leo cupped his hands in thanks for the last bit.

Kendrix smiled and took the mike from him. "Can you tell he's not a family man?" She shook his shoulder. "I'm Kendrix Morgan and I am the tech advisor for the Mirinoi Space Project. When I'm not exhausted, I like to read books and take walks. Trini was mentioning second chances a while back. I doubt that any of you will ever top mine. It's not every day that you meet a girl who's come back from death."

Maya tossed a flower into the audience behind her as she took the stage. "I'm Maya. I'm currently the understudy to the Elder, which means that someday I will become the leader of my village. I don't know what more to say about myself other than I'm thrilled to be here with all of you, and to have gotten the chance to be here on Earth with its greatest heroes." She glanced over at them all. "Simply said, you are the most amazing people and incredible friends that I could ever have asked for."

"Maya is way too kind to us," Mike said at center stage. "I'm Mike Corbett, first officer of the once glorious Terra Venture, now a heap of space junk occupying Mirinoi's southern plateau. I'm currently in charge of the military aspect of creation of Mirinoi's space base. I've been a career military man so I never went to school like so many of you. I regret that sometimes, but I'm glad that I had the chances that were given to me."

Kai walked over and stole away the microphone. "Hey, I'm Kai Chen. I work with Mike on the military station on Mirinoi. We've just finished installing a new planetary defense system that we're planning on being fully operational within a month or two. I'm very excited, can you tell? Anyway, I was raised in Florida before moving to California where I was stationed at Vandenberg. I was then chosen for the Terra Venture team and the rest is history."

"Kai's a total nerd at heart, though he'd never admit," Damon remarked. "I'm Damon Henderson, chief mechanic on Mirinoi. I also keep the Astro Megaship up and running for Andros and the rest of the crew. That's pretty much my life now. I was born and raised in San Diego where I received my mechanic license and got a job at a certain ship museum until I was approached by NASADA to work on the top secret space project that we all know as Terra Venture. I packed my things and told my mom that I'd been hired by the military to work in Nevada."

"Hello, I'm Carter Grayson. I'm a firefighter in Mariner Bay like I've been for ages now and I'm working myself up the ladder toward a chief position. God, I feel sort of old all the sudden." He smiled over at his teammates. "I helped rebuild Lightspeed Command after Wes took over, but I haven't really had much to do with command over there in a while. Lucky for us, things have been getting quieter on the home front for the past few years."

"I'm Dana Mitchell. I work as a pediatrician in Mariner Bay when I'm not taking care of personnel at Lightspeed Command. I do some modeling in my spare time, which is sort of embarrassing to admit, but I enjoy it." She looked over at her brother. "Back when we were kids there was an accident that took Ryan from my father and me. I think it's safe to attribute it to the eventual birth of Lightspeed Command. It was hard for him to accept that his son had been saved only to be sold to a demon, and I think I always knew that a part of him figured that Ryan could be brought back if he tried hard enough."

"I'm Ryan Mitchell," her brother said taking over. "I'm the guy who was raised by a demon." He smiled. "Now I own and operate an archaeological diving company in Mariner Bay. I work three days a week retrieving artifacts from Mariner Bay's surrounding ocean that were left behind by the demonic colonies that once inhabited the region. I live with Kelsey and our insane pets in a house that was built before Zordon was born if that is possible."

"We have five dogs and three cats in a nine-hundred square foot house just to clear things up," Kelsey admitted. "I'm Kelsey Winslow and I work as a fitness trainer in Mariner Bay. I also volunteer at the local schools to teach kids rock climbing. I've been with Ryan for about three years now. We kind of connected again after I came back to Mariner Bay from working and competing at the X Games where I was the event coordinator for about two years."

"I'm Chad Lee, I work for the Mariner Bay Biological Park as its chief animal trainer. I still perform shows occasionally, but not as much as I used to since my lead killer whale has been retired to a life of leisure. I am married to my wonderful wife, Marina, who, as some of you know, is a mermaid. She doesn't have a tail anymore though, so please don't look." Marina smiled from the audience and evaded everyone's poignant stares.

"Howdy, y'all. I'm Joel Rawlings. I run the airstrip in Mariner Bay in case you ever decide to fly over. I'm married to my lovely wife Angela Fairweather and we have a four year old daughter, Ainslee. She keeps us on our toes. I have a degree in Aviation and a minor in film studies, specifically old westerns if you're still wondering."

"I don't know how to start explaining the complications that are my life," Wesley started. "I'm Wesley Collins, born and raised in Silver Hills as the heir to BioLab and its seventeen subsidiary companies. My mother died when I was five, and my dad compensated by buying me my first car when I was ten. At twenty-one I became a ranger, and by then I had received a degree in business management because my dad had told me there was no way he would pay for anything else. I told my dad I wasn't interested in his company, but as fate would have it, here I am, CEO and head of the Silver Guardians. I won't lie, I think I'd have folded my cards by now if I'd been at it alone."

"Wes is just being his usual dramatic self," Eric promised. "I'm Eric Myers, Wes's better half. I met the self-serving jerk at a private school when we were fourteen. Lucky for me he was less of a jerk than most. He kept my head above the toilet bowl for four long years while every other rich kid there threatened to 'destroy the Asian scholarship kid'. After some rather sticky incidents our friendship cracked and we barely spoke for four years. Feeling the weight of my corporate ambitions, I might be remembered by some as the biggest ass ever to grace the helmet. Maybe that's not so far from the truth. It took me forever to understand that my pride isn't worth losing everyone. Wes gave me the chance to co-run BioLab with him and I still can't understand why the hell for."

"Maybe it's because Wes understands the value of a team," Jen remarked, feeling Eric's gaze. "It takes a person of great character to be a leader, and that's something I never had. After we lost Alex and we ran into Wes I thought I could find a way never to accept him. I grew up in a tight-knit Time Force family where every hour was spent contemplating what the next step to save our sorry skins would be. I never learned the social skills needed to see people as human beings. Alex and I were engaged for six months before Ransik attacked us and decommissioned him. In that time I'd thought I'd found something of my own that Time Force couldn't touch. I was wrong. That relationship fell apart the moment he was gone. I guess I was in love with the outside." She cast a knowing look at Wes, the man who shared Alex's face. "I never knew how to hold onto a relationship, what to feel, how to feel it." She looked over at her team. "In the future I think we've lost something. We don't have the sort of friendship that you all have, and that we have with you. If we hadn't met Wes and Eric we would never be bonded in this way. Alex arrived from the future and he thought without delay that we would just cast Wes aside and go back to duty. That's not how it works here. We're here today because we have a sense of duty toward each other, not just toward a cause or an end."

"Jen is right," Lucas told the crowd. "In the future there were only two things that mattered to me, cars and my job. I'd work for ten to fourteen hours and go home to an empty house. I would cast glances at normal people walking by and wonder at the pathetic stature of their lives. I thought I was better somehow. I thought I was faster, stronger, and better because I was Time Force."

"We'd go to various events because we were told to, not because we wanted to," Katie told them. "In the past few years, being back there has been harder than ever. Knowing that there is something out there besides a world of machinery and manipulation makes it tough to accept the bars. I hope that we've made some sort of impression on them, made them realize how quickly we've changed from human to robot, if not in body, in mind. I spent the first twenty years of my life in a cage and I didn't even see it. I lived from moment to moment fearing my death if I didn't do what was set by the clock."

"On Xybria," Trip told the Rangers, "our world is but a perception of what we see through these jewels." He removed his hat for the rest of them to see his forehead. "I feel the same sense of dread going back there that these guys do. I don't know how to function in a world that lacks the very essence of surprise that makes this era interesting. Trip doesn't exist in that place the way he does here, with all of you."

"Now that we've taken the philosophical route," Taylor said with a slight grimace, "I don't know why you'd even care to hear about me." Eric tickled her back and she shrieked. "Okay, okay…I'm Taylor Earhardt. I joined the Air Force right out of high school and became a fighter pilot. After a few years I was approached by Shayla. After all the ranger stuff that would bore you to hear again, I went back and was stationed at Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. I've been there for about five years now working on various projects that you have all inadvertently helped with and been helped by including some fancy planes that you'd all kill to fly."

"Hey, I'm Alyssa Enrile, and I'm a kindergarten teacher at Turtle Cove Elementary. I live with my terrier Tiger and a large supply of picture books and I'm currently dating a guy I teach with but I haven't told him any of this stuff yet. During the summer months I train with my father at his dojo and teach little kids his style. Two years ago I spent six months in the Philippines for a teacher exchange program that was really amazing. I'd never been to my mother's birth country before and I felt like I learned quite a bit about myself."

"I'm Cole Evans," Cole told them stifling a yawn that betrayed his lack of sleep at the motel the previous night. "I was raised by a tribe in the Amazon river basin after my parents were killed during an expedition. After attending school, I started work as a veterinarian and animal rights activist in Turtle Cove. When I have some extra money I usually fly down to Brazil to visit my adoptive family and donate to various rainforest protection programs."

"I'm Danny Delgado, and apparently I'm Z's second cousin?" he raised his arms in confusion. "Anyway, I didn't even know I had a cousin named Elizabeth. Wait, I'm old enough to be your dad!" he suddenly said in an outburst that sent everyone into a parade of stares.

"What Danny meant to say is that he's a little confused about the connection right now to a certain girl who was born four years ago and is now standing here laughing at him as a woman." Kendall took Danny's arm and pulled him back to reality.

"I'm working at a travel agency right now and I help run Kendall's flower shop when she gets behind schedule. I go with Max every summer to travel a little bit more of the world which is exactly what we should all be doing before we die. Last year I went to Columbia to visit my second cousins."

"Hey I'm Max Cooper. I decided a couple of years ago to head back to bowling professionally. I'm currently training for my biggest competition of the year which is next month in Atlanta. When I'm not bowling I work at a souvenir shop that specializes in turtle memorabilia."

"I suppose I don't have just one life to explain," Merrick began, "but two distinct halves joined in a period of darkness." He looked back at the water of Angel Grove Lake and for a moment seemed like he would not continue. "When I was born as Merrick Baliton, the land was a place of turmoil and warriors were all there was standing between us and death. Some of those warriors fell to the darkness themselves, including me for my foolishness. I believed I could harness a power that was not meant for me and for five thousand years I paid for that mistake, a prisoner in my own body. Learning to live in a world that is not your own, a world that is so changed that an entire civilization has risen where once there was only a small band of souls struggling to survive was beyond words to describe. I have had to learn to experience everything again, and in the past seven years I have only begun to understand the changes that have taken place since my creation. I still wonder what purpose a place such as this has in the grand design and if being in this place will be my atonement or my gift."

"I think we've all learned things about this world in the last years that have changed our perception. I was in high school planning to head over to college in a few years when I was approached by ninjas. The Shane Clarke I left in that parking lot doesn't exist anymore. I am not content with the world as it was. I can do things I couldn't imagine, experience things that should even exist. I've taught students what I learned as a young man and I know that they must feel the same sense of awe and uneasiness that I did. I don't quite see the skateboard the same way I once did but I know that I'm certainly better at seeing it than I was before. The game is so much more now."

"I think that beneath the facade, there is still a little girl wanting to impress the crowd inside Tori Hanson," Tori started. "I'm still active in surfing competitions. I go out there about three times a week. It's hard to get any more time to myself with the dojo and everything. Luckily we have all the work split four ways or we would be really busy. I'm a little upset that I don't get more time with Blake."

"Like Tori and Shane I was a clueless kid when I was given the chance to become a ninja. I mean who even knows ninjas exist? And I was becoming one. I'll give sensei credit, he did a great job getting us through school and helping us adapt to college and a life outside the academy. He gave us so much room to be ourselves. I never did anything professional with my motocross like Blake, but I still goof off sometimes. I focus more on my teaching now, and I have a real job working with Kelly to get sports equipment to underprivileged kids through our newly expanded Storm Chargers."

"I'm Hunter Bradley," the older brother began. "I took over the Thunder Ninja Academy following the death our sensei. I've been pretty tied up running the place, but I'm always in town on Thursdays to help with the Big Brother program. Some of my students are promising martial artists, which is always good to see. Maybe some of them will one day wear the mantle like we all have."

"I'm the bum who decided I didn't want to dedicate myself to martial arts, you can sue me." Blake took the mike from Hunter. "I've been racing for Factory Blue for years now and helping them work on some new lines. I also work with some kids teaching them how to ride and stuff when I'm not too busy."

"I'm Cam Watanabe, and I'm the nerd of the crew." He smiled slightly over his glasses. "I'm the head teacher at the Academy since my dad retired, but that's old news. In my spare time I build lots of weaponry for us to try out, the same stuff I've been doing for the majority of my life. I went to Japan for a year back in 2007 and worked with some of the more well-known katana masters and visited some notable samurai historical places."

"Hello, I'm Conner McKnight and I'm here with my beautiful wife of a year now, Krista. We live in Reefside where I am in the process of building up my soccer camp program. I graduated with a degree in physical education a couple of years ago. Krista is currently working for the National Park Service habitat rehabilitation program outside Reefside."

"Hello, I'm Kira Ford, and I received a BA in Music from Reefside Community College. I'm now working on putting together my own rock band with some friends of mine. In my spare time I give guitar lessons to kids and give seminars to students at Reefside Middle school on the importance of music education."

"Hey, I'm Ethan James and I received a degree in computer programming. I now work for Blizzard designing and playing video games. When I'm not doing that, I run the Reefside Dungeons and Dragons fan club that meets once a week at the Cybercafe."

"Hey I'm Trent Fernandez-Mercer. I attended art school in New York and graduated with my degree last year. Right now I'm doing a weekly comic strip for the Reefside newspaper and other various projects for novelists and the like. I'm heading on a dig with my dad in a few months and I'm going to be drawing some sketches for his Paleontology classes."

"Hey, I'm Jack Landors. I think that for your benefit I need to explain some things. For various reasons we can't disclose the future, but I need to share this with my team as much as anyone. I left SPD after about a year because I didn't feel like it was where I could make the most difference. I felt at that point in my life there were other ways I could help people and one of those ways kept me with a woman I was in love with." He looked over at Sky. "My life was never meant to be any more than it is now. I can't be the guy who goes off and leaves the struggling world behind."

"Maybe Jack feels like he is making the most out of helping others on a one-to-one basis, but I know that I'm doing my best at SPD. I'm Sky Tate and I was promoted to Commander a few years ago following Anubis Cruger's promotion. Since then I've been in charge of the basic operations of the city."

"That means that I, Bridge Carson, was also promoted to red ranger. My job is to patrol the city and contain any major issues that arise between our foreign inhabitants and the humans in the city. If something happens that requires us to step in as a military presence I am required to contact the rest of my team and we handle it accordingly. However, that rarely seems to happen anymore. We tend to deal with things as they happen."

"I'm Elizabeth Delgado and I joined SPD back in 2005 and I've been an active member of the force since then. I like to help out with the homeless when we're not on patrol since I grew up for the most part out on the streets. It was a hard life and I'm trying to make it so that these people don't have to suffer the way Jack and I did."

"I'm Sydney Drew. I spend a lot of my time working on basic operations for Sky. Right now I'm spending a lot of time supervising some new building projects and overseeing paperwork. Since we defeated Grumm there has been a lot less action that required my presence and I've been sort of demoted to secretary duties."

"Hey, I'm Nick Russell. I'm currently working temp jobs in the LA area. I suppose you'd all like to understand why Daggeron here calls me Bowen. The simplest answer might be to tell you all I was adopted and that my real parents are Harry Potter's cousins and they left me with a few 'gifts'." He threw an angry glance at Daggeron and a tiny red flicker started to flare off his hand. "Enough about me, I'm in a bad mood as you can tell, and I don't want to upset the lovely couple."

"Alrighty then," Chip said quickly to change the tone of the now dreary stage. "I hope you'll all excuse Nick. I'm Charlie Thorn, everyone calls me Chip. I'm finishing up my last year in college and I'm working on a kid's book about our adventures with magic. I've been picked up by a publishing company and hope to have it on sale by the end of next year."

"I'm Xander Bly and I'm finishing up my own degree in horticulture and I plan on opening a nursery in Briarwood. I guess the whole plant magic has helped me understand my true passion for things that grow."

"Hey, I'm Vida Rocca and I now work as a DJ in Briarwood. It doesn't pay a lot but I'm still working for Toby as well. I do a lot of mixing for weddings and the like. Last year I was in charge of the music system for Briarwood High's graduation."

"I'm Madison Rocca and I'm about to receive a degree in film studies. I spend most of my free time documenting my life on film. You might have seen me running around filming you guys earlier for Tommy and Kim." Madison stopped and looked over at Nick. "I'm glad that you two are happy together."

"In respect for Udonna and Leanbow, I'm going to cut this young man short and send him to his seat," Daggeron told the audience about Nick as he handed the podium over to Mack.

"I'm Mack Hartford and I'm working for my dad on his archaeological expeditions. In my free time I still delve into dozens of adventure novels, read up on the latest technology, like myself, and live a thrilling life after everything that happened." He looked over at Will and handed over the microphone with a loud crack.

"Hello, I'm Will Aston, I'm currently working for a museum requisitions office. I'm the guy who flies out and gets the loot and makes sure it arrives in one piece. I also track down missing pieces that are now in private collections and retrieve them for all of us to share."

"I'm Dax Lo and I now work as an actor, director and stunt man professionally. I just appeared as Jackie Chan's assistant and worked as third assistant director in a film that should be released here within a year or two."

"I'm Veronica Robinson, known as Ronny, and I'm racing cars like I was before Operation Overdrive. I just competed in France and I have an open show in Germany in a couple of weeks. When I'm not on the road I have a modest apartment in San Angeles where I like to hang out with my buds."

"I'm Rose Ortiz, I graduated from Oxford and I'm now an associate professor there. I teach some classes on robotics and pure math. When I'm not bogged down with papers and research, I like to head over to see Mack and the others."

"Hello, I'm Tyzonn from the planet Mercuria. I was cursed in a monster's body until I was freed by Mack. Since then I've been reunited with the love of my life, Vella, and we've started over. Right now we're working on building our life back home and hope to get married soon."

"Well, that should be about it," Zack said, taking back the microphone. "You all can go back to talking and hopefully there will be something more to talk about now."

* * *

A shadow flickered from across the water. RJ put down the binoculars and handed his phone to Casey. "I'm not sure I'm ready to bring it up yet," he told his companion. "They deserve this time off."

"Dai Shi was just the tip of the iceberg, RJ," Casey argued. "I think it's our duty to at least warn them."

"They'll know when the time is right," RJ said calmly. "Now I want you to call Tommy and tell him we can't make the reception at all."

Casey looked back at him with a wounded expression. "You know, a part of me wanted to hear TJ tell that pizza story." He dialed the number stoically.

Tommy reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Hello?" he asked quickly.

"Hey, sorry, it's Casey Rhodes. We can't make it," the younger man said into the receiver.

"Hey, well that's okay, just stop by sometime if you get a chance." Tommy smiled over at Kim and told her the news.

"I'm sure you are all having a great time," Casey mouthed quietly. "Look, I'm really sorry we couldn't…"

Tommy reassured him firmly and hung up. He looked over the water with an eerie feeling running down his spine. For some reason he felt a presence across the water that he felt every time he came in proximity of a fellow Ranger and he wondered why Casey would lie to him.


	4. Chapter 4: Departure

Departure

Just as they had come together under a banner of love and companionship, they too left each other in unity and in hope. Tommy and Kimberly joined the departing groups at the Youth Center where the cars were all lined up outside, a testament to the miles that would separate them.

"I can't thank you enough for making it out here to celebrate with us," Kim told Tori as she headed for her blue van.

Tori nodded, smiling. "I wouldn't have missed it. I can't wait to do this again." She opened her arms and Kim stepped into her hug. The sunny color of Tori's shirt reflected perfectly her glowing happiness.

Blake came up beside them, showing off his chocolate ice cream cone. "You about ready?" he asked Tori.

She nodded. "Promise to keep in touch?"

Kimberly promised to call later and watched them climb into the van. Blake shouted a last congratulation her way. Hunter, Shane, Dustin, Cam, and Kelly came over and each said goodbye as they walked outside and entered the vehicle. They drove off to the sound of Coldplay's Viva la Vida over Tori's radio.

"I think we're next," Conner told Kim quietly, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Take care of Tommy, I know he's a handful." He clapped Tommy on the back and smiled. It felt different to be standing there next to his teacher and his friend, both of them married and moving on with their lives in all new directions. Neither of them could go back to the time when they'd been hanging out at school or trying out new things in Tommy's lab.

Kim laughed heartily. "You're telling me." She knew exactly what Conner meant. From the moment she'd met him Tommy had been nothing short of a disaster waiting to happen from his tardiness to his incessant need to impress people. But his heart was all that mattered to her.

Krista gave Kim a hug and headed off with Conner toward his red sports car. "Wow, that has to be the biggest wedding I've ever attended. Did you see that guy eat two whole pies by himself?" she said quietly.

Ethan followed, saying a quick goodbye to everyone on his way out. "Stay out of trouble!" he shouted to Tommy lastly, "The wizard of Blizzard is watching you!"

Kira and Trent waited a moment to say goodbye as Conner started the car.

"Don't forget to come visit," Kira told Tommy as he leaned down to give her a hug. "It's been quiet without you."

"We'll be down, don't worry." He stood up and shook Trent's hand. "It was great having you both here." He gave Trent a tiny box wrapped in gold foil.

Trent smiled. "Thanks."

"You'll know when to use it," Tommy told him with a wry grin.

"Bye guys!" Kira shouted from the car as they rolled away toward the stop light at the corner. She looked back, stifling a feeling of loneliness as her friends disappeared from view. She turned to Trent who grabbed her hand comfortingly. She knew that he would keep her from feeling down for long.

"We should probably be heading back as well," Carter said as he met Tommy along the sidewalk. "I have to work tomorrow and I know Dana has an appointment that she can't miss."

"Not to mention that Ryan and I have starving critters at home," Kelsey said sarcastically. "They can only take so much of Mrs. Dockman." She brushed out her long brown curls and hugged Kim and Tommy both. "You know those single women who reach their seventies and become very cat-orientated, well she's the epitome."

Kim burst into laughter. "Well, by all means."

"I think someone's tired," Tommy noted as Joel and Angela Fairweather walked up with Ainslee sleeping against Joel's shoulder. Tommy brushed the toddler's nose with his finger. Ainslee batted it away bashfully.

"Thanks for inviting us," Joel told them both. "It was great to see everyone again."

"You're always welcome to come up," Tommy told them all.

"Maybe we'll take you up on that sometime," Chad remarked, his arm wrapped around Marina's waist. "They do have lots of attractive water areas around Angel Grove."

One by one they all hopped into Carter's Jeep and they left Angel Grove.

"Room for one more goodbye?" Cole asked.

Kim frowned. "If I have to." She welcomed his hug. "Take care of yourself."

"Maybe we'll come up again soon," Alyssa told them. "I could use another getaway from Turtle Cove before I get too busy with class."

Max nodded enthusiastically. Danny made sure that Kendall agreed before he chimed in.

"I've got to get back to Cheyenne Mountain, but I'll make sure to stop in if I'm here anytime soon," Taylor added. "It's been really great to see everyone together."

Merrick kissed Kim on the cheek. "Good luck, and keep safe," he told her, leaning into her ear to whisper something that no one else would hear. He backed away, still watching her with appraising eyes. His gaze traveled to her hand, which was instinctively moving downward toward her stomach.

Alyssa grabbed his hand and led him toward the vehicle, knowing that he must be feeling the familiar pang of heartache at Shayla's absence. It was times like this that hit him hardest.

Taylor caught Eric for a moment. "I'll see you tonight." He nodded and then she climbed into the black Suburban.

Mack Hartford headed over to the sidewalk with Rose next. "I think we'll head off as well."

Ronny gave Kim a box of chocolates she'd just purchased at the confectionery down the street. "One last gift for the bride."

Kim thanked her graciously and walked down with them as they loaded the Cadillac Escalade and Mack got behind the wheel.

Will and Dax showed up with the last of their suitcases.

"We're glad to have seen the way Earth people perform ceremonies of marriage," Ty told Tommy. "Things are much different on Mercuria."

Vella nodded in agreement. "Maybe we can teach them a few things."

"Don't teach them the bad stuff!!" Kim shouted as they drove away, waving through the tinted windows.

"What bad stuff?" Tommy asked her.

"The freaky tradition stuff, you know, like rice throwing and awful music."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I see what you mean."

"If I ever get married, and I mean the world has got to be upside down and backwards for that to happen give my current relationship status, I want a ceremony just like that. That was awesome. I commend you." Wes came down the stairs with a handful of boxes. "I don't think anyone could have done it better."

"Thanks for the help, Wes. I really appreciate what you did for us."

"Oh, the money? No problem. Please don't think anything of it."

"Are you sure we can't do something to pay you back?"

"No. I have the money to spend. I chose to spend it on you. End of story." Wes threw the boxes in the back of his Lexus hybrid.

Tommy nodded hesitantly. "I still wish I could give you something in return." He hated knowing that Wes had spent money on his own wedding. It made him feel cheap.

"Relax, okay. I didn't mean it to hurt your ego."

Tommy crossed his arms. "Right."

"What is it?" Kimberly asked, walking to Wes's car with a few more boxes.

"Nothing," Tommy promised her.

"I hope you all had a great time!" Kim shouted as others slipped into the seats next to Wes.

"It was wonderful," Lucas told her. "I really had a great time."

"Have a safe trip," Tommy told them as Katie, Jen, and Trip joined the rest of the group.

"It was nice to be headed out here for something good this time," Katie commented as Wes rolled the car into drive.

"Do I dare say that it's a little empty?" Kat asked, heaving a last box of candles onto the shelf in the pantry.

Billy nodded from his seat by the window. He was furiously typing up a lecture outline for his beginning Physics class that afternoon. Trini and Richard had already returned home. It was just a few scattered tables of people still talking. Jason and Emily had caught Leo and Kendrix outside and the guys were sharing stories.

Bridge was chatting with Sydney, who was speaking vehemently about shopping before they headed back.

Sky was keeping a cool expression as Jack took Z to the corner and told her about Ally. He didn't know how she would react to the news, let alone find out that she was the second to know. Sky figured there might be some backlash. The second Elizabeth started raking Jack over the coals, Sky wasn't surprised. He sat in the back room with the door open just enough to see her close to tears.

There wasn't anything he could do to stop her from being upset with Jack. He knew she had every right to be furious. They had been best friends for years, and then Ally had ripped them apart.

"You guys think we should be heading out?" Sky called to end the moment and spare the rest of the rangers their problems.

Syd nodded from near the juice bar. "I think we can do that."

"Are you sure they're ready?" Bridge commented, noticing Z's tears and Jack's apparent guilt.

"Yeah, they'll be all right."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Ally's pregnant. She's due in a couple months."

Syd raised her eyebrows. "You've got to be kidding!"

"Afraid not. He told me yesterday."

Bridge looked over at Z. "Ouch."

Sky nodded. He stood up, grabbed his book bag and headed out into the main room. "Come on, let's go."

Jack wheeled around and followed, catching Z in the small of her back and pushing her along in an arm hug. "I'm sorry, Z."

She turned to look at him full on. "I want to be happy for you. I am happy for you. I just expected a little more from a friend."

"That went well," Adam sighed from behind the counter. "We only managed to have one person leave in tears. That has to be a record."

Tanya punched his arm. "Don't be like that."

Aisha nodded. "I feel sorry for her."

"Feel sorry about what?" Zhane asked, coming inside from delivering the last of the tablecloths to the recycling bin.

"Z was upset about something Jack said. Sky hushed it up real fast," Tanya said matter-of-factly.

"Gossip corner?" Karone asked, pushing herself into the self-forming circle.

"Jack said something that upset Elizabeth," Adam told her. "She just left in tears."

Karone crinkled her face. "Is anyone going to ask what's wrong?"

"I think we'd best keep our noses out of it," Rocky added, looking up from his smoothie. "It looked like something complicated."

"Since when has that stopped us?" Karone asked, scowling at Rocky. "I'm the ex-princess of Evil, that's complicated, maybe we'd best leave it be."

"That's not what I meant, Karone," Rocky promised. "I think it's relationship stuff. We shouldn't get involved."

"Rocky's right," Aisha finalized. "If it's personal stuff, we don't need to go snooping around."

Sky turned up again with a heated expression. "She'll be fine," he told them, reaching for his keys. "Jack, on the other hand, is in for the deep long haul."

"Can I ask?" Karone started, Zhane put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"I appreciate that you care, but I think it's best we deal with this in our own ways first. I'll make sure you guys are filled in as soon as I find it pertinent to our working relationship. As a friend, I want to tell you, but I think that Jack needs to figure some things out first." Sky brushed Karone's hand with his reassuringly and headed out into the morning.

Leo headed inside with Jason. Emily and Kendrix stayed outside for a moment before following them.

"I think we should probably be going as well," Leo told everyone who was clustered in the center of the room.

Damon picked up his bags from the corner of the room. Kai joined him in gathering everything together. He stopped at the bar and poured himself a seltzer for the road.

"Take care, Kai," Kat told him, from her seat in front of the divider.

"It was great seeing all of you again. Wish you the best of luck with David."

"He's a great guy, I'm sure I'll be fine."

"I'm sure this whole thing was pretty weird for you," Kai said as he put away the sparkling water.

"Weird, yeah, but I feel great about it." She blushed slightly. "I don't have anything to regret."

Kai nodded. "Sure, well, like I said, great to see you."

Kat nodded. "Go save to world, Kai."

He smiled over his shoulder, "Always have!"

Andros waved the keys to the car. "We'll see you all soon," he promised.

Ashley smiled over at Cassie. "Keep me posted on the job front."

Cassie nodded. "I think I'm going to enjoy working there."

Carlos shrugged. "If it doesn't work out I could use a new partner on the squad."

"I don't think so, Carlos," Cassie replied. "I'd rather not work for the police."

"Fine, be that way," he joked.

TJ and Justin laughed. "It's not that Cassie couldn't do it, it's just that she doesn't want to make you look bad."

"Ouch," Ashley remarked, making her way through the open door of the car.

"Well, I guess that about does it." Jason flopped down on the sofa and flipped off the music playing over the stereo system.

"That was an exhausting two days."

"It was a great two days."

The comments didn't come from anyone in particular. They all just sat there, eating the leftover food until the time arose when they too all departed for home.


	5. Chapter 5: A Message From Triforia

An Urgent Message From Triforia

Jason was tossing and turning for most of the night. Emily woke to find his forehead drenched in sweat. She shook him, expecting him to be in the thralls of one of his Iraq nightmares, but he didn't wake. He didn't shout out one of his signature cries that told her he was reliving the worst days of his life over and over.

"Jase, honey." She put her hand firmly against his cheek.

He rolled over, still shaking.

"Jason, wake up."

He was still unresponsive.

She stood up and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. When she came back he was sitting upright.

"Trey."

"What, honey?"

"Trey was just in my mind."

Emily handed him the water. "Why? How?"

Jason threw back the covers and went to the window. "I'm sorry, Em."

"Sorry? Jason, what happened?" She wrapped her arms around his waist. He was still shaking from the exertion of of what had just gone racing through his brain. This face was full of confusion.

"Triforia was just attacked. Trey warned me that a threat greater than any we've ever encountered is coming to Earth. I have to warn the others."

"I'm coming with you."

"No," he told her, turning around. "I have to warn the other Rangers alone. I'm not going to put you through what I fear is coming."

"I'm your wife, Jase, I'm coming with you." She stood firmly. "Whatever it is that you have to do I'll do with you."

Jason took her hand. "He was hurt, maybe fatally. He gave me this."

Emily looked down to see a tiny gold crystal in his palm.

"Is that..."

"My Zeo crystal, yes. I can barely feel the power within it." He hadn't seen his Zeo Crystal in what felt like a lifetime. Since he'd returned it to Trey of Triforia, he'd had a hard time regaining what he'd felt like a large piece of himself being ripped out savagely.

"If he gave you the crystal..."

"He never would have if something wasn't seriously wrong. I think Triforia might have been destroyed."

He reached for the phone and dialed Tommy and Kim's number.

Tommy rolled over and grabbed the phone, his other arm still wrapped around Kim.

"Hello?" he asked groggily. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's Jason, we have a problem."

Tommy sat up and pulled the covers away. "What is it?"

Kimberly climbed over to his side of the bed to listen as Jason told them about the message and his Zeo Crystal.

"Did Trey give us a time frame?" Tommy asked, putting on his bath robe.

"I didn't get a chance to ask him."

"What happened?"

"I woke up to find the crystal in my hand and the link severed, sliced in half like a piece of string."

"Like he was forcibly removed from your mind?"

"Yeah. He was either seriously wounded, or incredibly worried that he was about to die right before I lost the connection." Jason fingered the tiny golden gem in his palm. "I'm worried, Tommy."

Tommy walked into the kitchen and grabbed his keys from the peg near the door. He walked back to the bedroom and pulled a metal box from his closet.

He found what he was looking for inside. It was a small digital address and telephone directory with all the Rangers listed, and a tiny red crystal that was glowing a sickly red.

"I've got everyone's contact info if you think we need to let everyone know."

"I do," Jason replied.

"I'll meet you in half and hour."

"I'm coming too," Kim finalized, reaching for her jeans and a clean blouse.

"I'll meet you guys in a few, just give me a chance to chug some coffee so I can drive."

Jason put down the phone and sat back down on the bed. He clutched his forehead in agony. "What the hell is going on Emily?" he asked her quietly. "I've never felt this way before. It's like the whole fabric of my life has suddenly changed."

A knock on the door twenty minutes later found Jason, Tommy, and Kim sitting in the kitchen talking frantically. Jason was still trying to process what Trey had told him.

"Look, man, I just don't know," he told Tommy for the fourth time as his friend drilled him for details.

Tommy gave up and sat down, realizing he was still in his bathrobe. "Please tell me this is something we can prepare for."

"For all that he told me we could be wiped out tomorrow."

Kimberly shook her head. "I don't think so. If Triforia was attacked it would take a while for any large army to get here. Trey might have bought us some time."

"Maybe she's right. If you would just calm down for a minute," Emily told both men firmly.

"Fine. Let's get a phone and start dialing," Jason said without looking up. He pulled out his cell phone and started punching in numbers.

"You don't think this is a good time to mention Casey?" Kim asked, pulling Tommy away for a moment as he dialed Conner's number.

"I don't know. Hell, for all I know it wasn't even him that I felt by the lake."

"But you seemed so sure."

He brushed away her hand. "Just get a phone, Kim," he ordered.

She turned away and started dialing herself, the first number she saw on the list. "Hey," she whispered. "If you're there pick up." The answering machine was quiet on the other end. "Aisha," she said a little louder. "Come on honey, wake up." After six tries she gave up and moved on to the next name on the list.

"Hey, Trini, I know it's late but pick up, we need to talk." She started drumming her fingers on Jason's marble counter top. "Trini, Richie," she droned on for another minute.

"Damn, doesn't anyone answer the phone at night?"

Emily tried not to smile. "Hey, Tanya?" she sent a thumbs-up in Kim's direction. "Hey, we have a situation and we need you guys to help out. Can you come over?"

Jason hung up with Rocky. "Rocky's on his way."

"All right, thanks," Tommy set his phone down and yawned. "I guess it was too much to ask for a couple of months of marriage bliss before everything went to hell."

"At least we got back from New Zealand before this happened," Kim told him, sitting down. "I don't even want to think about that scenario."

A loud knock on the door sent Jason scurrying to the front of the house. "Billy?"

Billy was standing on the doorstep. His face was plastered in a mortified expression. "Jase," he whispered almost inaudibly. "It's Cestria, she won't wake up."

Tommy and Kim made their way to the door quickly. Kim brushed past Jason to his side. "What happened?"

He couldn't find words for quite some time. "I just woke up to go to the bathroom and she was lying there stiff as a corpse with her eyes open. I've never seen her like that before. It's like she's in a coma."

Billy wouldn't take well to the news.

"I don't think that's the weirdest thing I've heard tonight," Emily chimed. "We have a situation on our hands."

Billy stopped for a moment. "What?"

"Triforia was attacked, Trey sent me a telepathic message. I'm wondering if Cestria is having a similar experience."

Billy started to walk back to the car and he opened the door to his blue Prius anxiously. Cestria was sprawled over the back seat. He got out of the way and let Jason pull her out of the car. As they carried her inside Tommy called more of the contacts hoping in desperation that more of them would respond.

"What is going on?" Billy asked as he pressed a cold washcloth to his wife's head.

"If I knew I'd be telling you," Jason promised. "I'm sorry man, I'm sure she'll be all right."

The former blue ranger glanced with sheer apprehension at the door. His eyes were so full of fear that it was almost possible for his contact lenses to pop out.

"Hey," a masculine voice called from the kitchen door. "Sorry, I let myself in."

Rocky let himself down into the only open chair left in the house, the piano bench. He was tending a bruise on his arm gingerly.

"What happened to you?" Kim asked hoping to hear a perfectly normal answer.

"I was attacked by Tengas on my way over here," he said with a smile. "No, for heaven's sake I hit my arm on the door trying to find my way outside."

"That's so not funny right now," she told him with a grimace.

"Better watch yourself, we might be needing you in top form," Jason told him sternly.

Rocky dropped his arm. "Alright, so what's the situation?"

"Are you sure you want to ask that question?" Billy said with a grimace patting Cestria's head again.

Rocky looked away toward the window, "Do I have a choice?" The headlights of another car were clearly visible heading down Jason and Emily's street.

Kimberly stood up and went to the door anxiously. She barely left enough room for Tanya and Adam to squeeze past her. "Hey, we're here."

The looks on everyone's faces proved that this time everything they had might not be enough.


	6. Chapter 6: Zordon Lives

Zordon Lives

A man in black came up to the silver SUV and motioned for the driver to roll down the tinted windows. A woman with blonde hair and a severe expression flashed him her access card. "Taylor Earhardt, US Air Force."

She stepped out of the vehicle and handed the man her keys. "I have an appointment with Wesley Collins."

The man checked her paperwork. "Welcome to BioLab."

Taylor entered the air-conditioned building and started for the elevator leading to the eighth floor of the massive building.

A few scientists and suits smiled at her wearily as she ascended in the glass elevator. Men with a wide array of firearms patrolled the corridors.

She stepped out and went to quickly to the last room in the stark corridor.

Taylor knocked to have a man in a navy suit and tie open the door. Wes didn't say anything as he motioned her inside.

"Be right there," he whispered into his communicator. Followed by, "Sorry about that."

"Meeting today?" she asked, as he removed the wireless phone from his cheek.

"Always," he replied, stifling a yawn. His eyes darted to the clock with a distinct look of exhaustion.

"Is there some reason I'm here, Wes?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Nothing illegal I hope. A new toy?"

"I wish. If you'd be quiet for a moment, I'll show you."

He brushed past her and started down the hallway. At the elevator he slid his thumb into a secret compartment and accessed the scanner. "Sub-level Twelve," he said clearly.

Taylor raised an eyebrow and followed him down. When they got out it was completely barren, there was no activity for as far down the hallway as she could see. Devoid of any sight of rooms, she expected sub-12 to be a collapsed mine shaft, deadly to even the heartiest canary.

"What the hell, Wes?" she said impatiently.

"Trust me, this is going to blow you away."

He led her around a corner and shifted away a piece of the titanium wall plating to reveal a door handle. "No one ever comes down here, and I've made sure that for the past few days, no one has had any reason to start."

Inside the room she could hear a distinct beep. A rhythm that sounded distinctly like that of a heart monitor.

"That's a life support beacon. You've got someone down here."

"Two people actually," Wes told her, handing her a mask to put over her face.

He let a retinal scan allow him entry through an air locked door.

Taylor gasped, realizing that things had just radically changed.

The two forms were parallel to each other, both in pods that were too futuristic to belong in her world. One was a woman, seemingly suspended in her thirties with a shroud of white across the bottom half of her face. The second was an old man cloaked in gray, completely bald and impossibly withered. On each side of them, unmistakably, were Wes and Eric's morphers, channeling whatever weak power survived in them from their power cores to the pods, making precious life stay within them for a little longer. The red streams hurt her eyes.

"How could you keep this a secret?" she condescended.

"They've been here for two days. Eric and I were on a routine check outside Silver Hills when we stumbled on Zordon and Demetria's bodies, haphazardly lying in front of us. From what we figured they were put there purposely, so that we would find them. Trust me, if I'd had the time, I would have contacted everyone sooner, but I need your help."

Taylor nodded, moving around the capsules, noting that they both were barely alive.

"It's taken every ounce of my strength, and Eric's just to keep them from flat lining."

"Where is Eric?" Taylor asked, suddenly sensing that something was terribly amiss. His Quantum Morpher was flickering crazily.

"Taylor, I'm afraid that's just it, he was admitted to the hospital this morning after collapsing."

"What happened?" Taylor asked, trying her best to remain composed.

"Zordon isn't doing well. Eric has been trying to keep him alive by channeling his own life force, but I'm afraid it isn't working."

"It's killing him too," Taylor realized, feeling a tear begin to well in her eye. She quickly batted it away.

"After Andros shattered Zordon's energy tube it was widely believed that what was left of Zordon was destroyed, along with the forces of Evil known as Lord Zedd, Rita Repulsa, the Machine Empire, Divatox, and Astronema. Clearly, that was not the case. His essence managed to survive, and something has forced it back into his crippled body, and Demetria as well."

Taylor wanted to end Zordon's misery, save Eric from any more pain, but she couldn't. There was something greater at hand.

"I wanted it to be me, Taylor, but his powers were stronger..."

"I know, Wes," she said, putting a hand on his forearm.

"I need...I need to tell everyone, but I don't know where to begin."

"This is just a small piece of what I fear is to come," she confessed.

He nodded as they made way outside into the blaring daylight.

The stark white walls of the hospital and their ugly adorning paintings made the room appear all the more like a death cell. Monitors beeped all around Eric as he lay, eyes closed.

"Eric," Wes called from the doorway, dismissing the nurse. He grabbed Eric's hand. "I have a visitor for you."

Eric opened his eyes. "Hey."

"Are you doing okay?" Wes asked, sitting in the mauve chair beside the bed.

"Been better."

"Eric," Taylor murmured, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Taylor," he returned, turning his head to look up at her.

"I don't know what to say...oh God, Eric."

"I'm not as bad as I look." He squeezed her hand with what little effort he could manage.

"You..."

"Don't worry about me, Wes is doing everything he can."

"I probably ought to go, I'm not doing much just sitting here. I need to get to the bottom of this..."

Eric touched her cheek. "You've already done something." He let his hand fall back against the white sheet and closed his eyes again.

"Hang in there," Taylor ordered him, brushing his forehead with her lips.

Eric smiled faintly. "...not giving up."

Wes dialed a number on his cellphone, "Meet me at the house, bring Major Earhardt's car."

He looked exasperated as they walked.

"Maybe you should take a rest, Wes."

"That's not an option."

"You're no good to anyone if you end up like Eric."

Wes threw his car into reverse and drove out onto the street.

"Taylor, saving Zordon and Demetria is going to take more power than I have right now, and I'm not going to stop until I know that I have enough to find out what's happening."

"You don't have to do this alone."

"It will take several days to organize everyone again, let alone find a way to make the meeting private..."

"Eric and you are doing enough already, let me handle this, Wesley."

He turned, letting her open the door to the mansion. "I have a feeling in my gut that nothing we do is going to prevent tragedy this time. Something terrible is going to happen, Taylor, and all we can do is hold out and wait for the storm."


	7. Chapter 7: Thunder Before the Storm

Thunder Before the Storm

Rose looked up from her desk and put her glasses away. The twenty-four-year-old looked over at a photograph on her desk of her fellow rangers as her advisor at Oxford came into her office.

"I need you to cover my class tomorrow," the older man told her.

Rose shrugged, "Sorry, I'm leaving town again today, family emergency."

She could tell by his expression that he wasn't thrilled with her response.

"If you want to be promoted to a full professor someday, Rose, don't thank that your frequent truancy will do you any favors." He turned his back to her. "I'm afraid you've been highly unreliable these last few weeks and I'm going to have to take points off on your evaluation."

Rose shook her head, "Doctor Brown, please..."

"You're a brilliant young woman, Miss Ortiz, but that doesn't guarantee any special treatment."

"I'm not asking for special treatment, sir. If I didn't have to leave, I promise you I wouldn't."

"How long will you be absent?"

"I'm not really sure, I don't really know how bad the situation is in California." She had just finished cleaning and locking her desk.

"I thought your family lived in London?"

"This is a different family." She was getting irritated with him. "Look, I have to leave. It's summer session so I'm sure you'll find some professor off duty who can cover your class."

Rose grabbed her purse and brushed past him. By the time she made it to her car she was wishing that she hadn't even bothered to leave after the wedding. It would have made things a lot easier, and she knew "easy" wasn't a word she would be using again anytime soon.

She met her private pilot on the runway, an employee of Andrew Hartford. He asked her how she was briefly before closing the cockpit and in a few minutes they were in the air.

They landed six hours later, and she was off the plane and in Mack's arms before ten minutes had passed.

"What's going on?" she asked him, letting him lead her off to his car.

"About a week ago Dad got a call from Billy Cranston. He was pretty surprised to hear from anyone so soon. It's only been about three weeks, but it turns out that the situation is pretty bad. Jason got a message from Trey of Triforia warning him about some new threat and Wes Collins has something to show us at BioLab."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "BioLab?"

Mack ruffled his short curly hair and rolled down the windows in his new Lexus. He shrugged, telling her that he knew as little as she did.

"What does this have to do with us?" Rose questioned, feeling the hot California air assault her once again.

"I wish I could tell you it was good news, but with Trey's message and Wes's call coinciding so closely, I doubt we will be receiving anything but bad omens in Silver Hills."

Mack pulled the car up in the drive of his San Angeles home that he shared with his father, Andrew.

Spencer, the Hartford's butler, took Mack's car and they rushed inside. It was immaculate as always in the interior of the house, adorned with priceless artifacts and the toys of a billionaire and his twenty-five-year-old son who was addicted to the latest technology.

Andrew saw Rose and hugged her briefly, then, as always, he got down down to business.

"You'll be heading to Silver Hills when Ronny and Will get here. I'll be linked to you by satellite in case you need me."

"In case there's some action, Dad?" Mack asked. Andrew ignored him wholeheartedly.

"Bet you wish you hadn't bothered going back," Dax called as he climbed the stairs from the basement.

"I'm probably going to lose my job, so I guess it was a waste of perfectly good time."

"What do you mean?" Mack asked, noting the sadness in her voice.

"Dr. Brown said he doesn't feel that I'm reliable enough for a full professorship. Maybe it was just meant to be. I was probably stupid to think that I could get a job there anyway."

"It wasn't stupid, Rose. I'm sure things will work out."

She didn't seem convinced.

Dax was holding an audition script, his face alight with the prospect of winning the lead in a new kung-fu film.

Mack didn't have the heart to tell him that they would likely miss the audition, but Dax already knew that and was just trying to keep hope alive for his tumultuous career.

"Hey, Dax, didn't I read this one?" he asked. The cover read Shanghai Cops! in big red letters.

"I dunno, they're all novels and remakes these days." He grabbed the script back and pretended to front kick Mack.

"What's going on?" Will asked, making his way through the front door and collapsing on the sofa. He was wearing a black Hollister tee and gray Bermuda shorts and looked like he'd just been running.

"We're screwed," Rose rebutted, flinging her arms dramatically.

"I just left a race in Phoenix, so this better be good," Ronny said haughtily. She threw her purse next to Will and vaulted over the arm to sit next to him.

"Welcome back, Rangers," Andrew called as he came up the stairs. Tyzonn came behind him with a thoroughly startled look. "We need to talk before you head out for Silver Hills."

Spencer handed them all glasses of lemonade and sat down next to Mack.

"I want you all to promise me that you'll but 100% into this project."

Will nodded, followed by Ronny, who seemed confident that Wes's call was more important than cars, and Dax who took the oath without hesitation while throwing the script back in his backpack.

"Rose?" Andrew asked, seeing all eyes on her.

"My position is really important..."

Her companions all looked expectantly, waiting for her to say she was leaving.

"Rose?" Mack repeated with concern, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"But there will always be new opportunities, and my first priority is as a Ranger." She put her hand out and they all shook on it.

Carter Grayson lowered himself off the bar, counting the pull ups he'd just completed, eighteen. He turned around and immediately lost concentration on his workout. The men standing behind him weren't fellow firemen. Bill Mitchell and two other Lightspeed officers were waiting for him.

"Sir?" he asked, feeling a sudden shudder wrack his body. Mitchell's expression wasn't that of an idle visit.

"Carter," he said briskly. "We have a situation..."

Carter could barely remember the whirlwind drive to base. The traffic blazed by so fast he could feel the spit in his mouth dry as it caught the wind.

He looked up at the monitor from his chair next to Chad Lee.

The room was deathly silent for the duration of Mitchell's speech about the call they'd received, the impending attack, and being sent to Silver Hills.

"Dad, did they say why we're going to Silver Hills?" Ryan was in his swimming trunks and a tee, his dark blond hair disheveled and wet, clearly bewildered by the midday change of plans. He'd been on a shallow dive when he'd received a call, pulling him away from his GPS search and into his father's office.

"Wes didn't want this message to fall into the wrong hands, it's utterly vague."

Dana shook out her long hair and nodded. "They wanted a medical team standing by, so it sounds serious."

Kelsey let her brilliant blue eyes linger on the display. "Why are there flashing red dots marking several California cities?"

"I was emailed this map and told that each of these points is being set up as a strategic command center."

"It's all the places where Rangers are currently living," Joel noted, bouncing daughter, Ainslee, on his knee.

"Angel Grove, Turtle Cove, Mariner Bay, Silver Hills, Reefside, Briarwood, San Angeles..." Angela Fairweather pointed out several of the flashing points. "All we have to do is click on one of the points and we'll be linked in real time to the command there via satellite video."

Chad looked surprised as he was handed a fancy looking watch.

"These portable devices link to this network."

Chad pressed a button and several codes popped up on the digital display

"Wow," Kelsey exclaimed, fastening her new communicator to her wrist. "This is new."

"As you can see, this technology will allow you to communicate across time and space as long as the signals remain up and running."

"What about Turtle Cove?" Carter asked, noting that only a flashing 'no signal' text appeared instead of a name.

Joel looked over at his wife, "Angela?" Her face was turning paler.

Fairweather looked down at the watch on Carter's wrist. "That shouldn't have happened, something's wrong..."

Leo Corbett pulled his Quasar Saber from the stone and took a step back, running his fingers down the blade. He looked at his reflection. The face of the man who looked back at him was not the same man who had pulled the sword from its housing nearly a decade prior. He had the trace of a five-o-clock shadow on his cheekbones and his features were more defined, hardened by his experiences in battle. the black short-sleeved shirt he wore suddenly seemed out of place. Even though Mirinoi was always warm, Leo was suddenly cold inside, and the unfamiliar tingle of a chill ran down the length of his body.

Kai Chen stepped forward, feeling the weather change. He had also changed dramatically since his saber encounter in 1999. He didn't feel like the carefree young soldier he'd been. Everything in his life had changed. He braced himself and pulled the saber cleanly from the stone.

Damon Henderson came up to the stone and pulled out his saber swiftly, barely feeling the weight in his muscled arm. He too noted the changes in his face. He carried the weight of all their victories and failures.

Maya stepped forward, the Mirinoian woman wore a long black skirt and a tan tank that bared most of her midriff. Maya pulled the Quasar Saber from the stone easily and looked too at her reflection. Her long hair was flowing around her shoulders in thick tresses, her full lips parted almost sultrily. She missed the first time she'd felt the sword in her hand, it hadn't weighed her down like a lead brick then.

Kendrix Morgan stepped forward last and took the last saber. She immediately felt the energy ripple through her, blowing her blond hair as she stepped back into the line, brushing leaves across her boots.

Mike took his saber from the Mirinoi elder with grim determination and turned back to face the others. Behind him, the Astro Megaship loomed, a reminder of the past.

Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone, stood waiting for them aboard. Each of them wore the clothes of the people of Earth, ready to take on the journey.

The six Galaxy Rangers moved toward the ship and silently boarded. The ship was ghostly quiet, full of memories. It would take them home.

Maya tried to suppress feelings of sadness at leaving her people, perhaps for the last time. She didn't have any idea what was waiting for them.

Karone took her shoulder, "We've been leaving our homes for years, but somehow, we always manage to find our way back." She spoke of both Mirinoi, and her home of KO-35.

Maya smiled at her and accepted Karone's hug. She wasn't alone in her feelings after all. Karone seemed as fearful and as confused as she was, it was written all over her lightly freckled face.

She glanced down at Karone's wedding band. She was glad that Zhane would be there with her and wished that she had the love and support of a husband for her own.

Damon walked by and gave Maya a comforting pat on the back. "It'll be okay, you'll see."

Leo and Kendrix were curled up in a chair together in the corner, looking fairly content despite the dark cloud looming over them. Zhane and Kai were cooking to pass the time, and Andros showed Mike upgrades to the ship. If she didn't know better, she'd think they were going back for another wedding, but it was all too dark outside for there to be happiness in her future.

Tori Hanson caught the wave and rode it toward the shore, teetering slightly on her blue surfboard. She eyed the beach and smiled to see Blake Bradley sitting there in his shorts and navy beach pullover. She hadn't expected him to sit there so patiently.

"Wow, you actually waited for me."

"Yeah, I did." Blake tipped the brim of his baseball cap.

"I'm ready to go if you are," she said, wringing out her hair.

"Where to now?" Blake asked. "We could head over for a quick lunch."

"Aren't you supposed to meet Hunter?" She had started walking across the beach toward her blue van.

"We have enough time."

"Blake!" she exclaimed.

"We do," he promised. "Is it so bad that I want to spend more time with you before I have to leave again? This next competition is gonna have me out of town for a while."

"I want to be with you too, Blake, but you should have some time with Hunter too." Tori was pretty sure that his brother would be less than thrilled if he showed up late.

"I guess you're right. I should probably get back and get ready."

He turned his back to her after a quick peck on the lips.

"Do you want a ride?" Tori asked, realizing she'd driven him there.

Blake nodded with a grin.

Hunter Bradley was cruising down main street in the town of Blue Bay Harbor, his windows rolled down. He brushed a fly off his shirt and pulled up at the cafe across from Storm Chargers.

He could see Kelly inside making a phone call. He thought about going in to say hello, but he decided there would be time later. He went inside the cafe and got a table near the windows. He watched the traffic roll by as he slipped a glass of Pepsi.

He saw Blake hop out of Tori's van and run inside.

"Hey bro, good day with Tori?" he asked.

"You bet! You?"

"Long drive, I went to check on Charlie and his mom. Sounds like he's doing okay." Hunter had been his Big Brother for a couple months during their time as Rangers.

"That's good. Look, I've got a bike for you to test out..."

Blake stopped as both their cellphones went off at the same time.

"It's Cam," Hunter realized, picking up.

"Sorry to cut your lunch date short, guys, but I need you to get to Wind Ninja Academy immediately. We have a situation..."

Shane Clarke and Dustin Brooks met them at the gate and let them in, leading them with Tori to Cam's renovated Ninja Ops.

"Hey guys, great to see you again, but I'm afraid I don't have good news. Hope you can cancel your plans because we're heading to Silver Hills."

Dustin crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at the trees outside, they looked slightly wilted to him, but maybe it was just his imagination.

"Dude, I have a Factory Blue race in Florida next week!" Blake exclaimed.

"Sorry man," Shane told him, clapping Blake on the shoulder. "Dustin, Cam, Tori, and I have planned leave for the next three weeks just to be on the safe side. Hunter, I'd do the same."

Hunter nodded, and Blake hesitantly agreed. If something was going to happen, he didn't want his students in danger. When Lothor had attacked Thunder Academy he'd lost good friends, he didn't want that to happen again.

Anubis Cruger looked up at the tower outside, realizing that something didn't look quite right. He sniffed the air. It didn't smell right. He looked over at his wife. She seemed lightly perturbed as well.

"Get me Jack Landors on the phone, now!" Schuyler Tate yelled at Boom from across the command center of SPD. He had been enjoying a perfectly normal day in his office when suddenly he'd felt that things were off, then he'd gotten a cryptic message in a cypher that the Rangers had developed for communication.

Sydney Drew was hovering over his shoulder, her pale blond hair running in ringlets just above his ear. Her fist was glowing a perfect diamond shade. "What's going on, Sky?" she asked, fingering her nails.

He looked over at the map of SPD and the surrounding area. Things looked normal, but he felt that things were off.

"We're packing up and going back. Get Z and Bridge here in ten minutes."

Syd nodded and headed off toward the mess hall. Elizabeth and Bridge were eating macaroni and cheese at a corner table, enjoying a day off.

"Sorry to break the news to you guys, but we're phasing out in half an hour. We just got some sort of message from the Rangers there saying there's something seriously wrong." She looked worried. For the first time in a long while she was completely at a loss as to what was happening.

"Records don't indicate any hostile alien activity on Earth during that year!" Bridge cried.

"Maybe this isn't our normal evil. Maybe its operating outside time. It wouldn't be the first or last time."

Z agreed with Syd. "I'm ready to go."

Sky hung up the phone as they came in the office. "I just talked to Jack, he's on his way. He just has to say goodbye to Ally and make sure she's doing okay."

Bridge nodded, realizing that this would be their first time on duty together as a team in almost four years.

Jack showed up, with his hair casually tied up in a ponytail and his bag strewn over one shoulder. "Okay, Rangers, let's do this."

Boom and Kat Manx looked up from the computer terminals.

"Come home safely, Rangers," Manx said quietly, activating the time device.

"This cannot be good for us," Z muttered as she disappeared from the control room and popped up in a remote storeroom deep under BioLab. She could feel the tingle inside her that promised change.

Kira Ford was enjoying a day at Cyber Cafe with Trent, lazily watching him draw, while fingering a new tune on her guitar. He was drawing a Roman soldier, she noted, with a shiny silver breastplate and a sword that she knew had to be a good couple of inches taller than she was. He looked resigned to the fact that he would die for the glory of his emperor. He seemed content about his war-poisoned life, his venanata vita. He didn't scream, or swear, or make any other ungentlemanly gesture, he just raised his shield and fought. She wondered if the man had a wife, a child, a family back in Rome. She wondered if he'd once frolicked in the grass he now crunched under his steel boot. She saw a bit of Trent in him, the fiercely human look to his eyes, the sculpted chest toned perfectly to the life of a warrior.

"What is it?" he asked her, attune to the cutoff of her notes.

She tried to smile. "I see a bit of us in that man you're drawing."

Trent turned the picture toward the light and finished a last touch to his brow. "I think he looks a bit like Conner."

"I thought he looked like you," she told him.

Trent tried to hide his satisfaction. "I drew him to be the husband of my Lady Juliana." He flipped to the previous page, where a young woman in a startling gold dress looked up with Kira's face.

"She's me," Kira realized.

Trent nodded. He pointed to her hand, clasping a white lily in her fingers.

Kira took a moment to realize he wasn't pointing to the flower, but to the ring she wore, a beautiful diamond, simple but elegant.

"Does she accept the ring?" Trent asked her playfully.

Kira was taken aback. "Are you proposing?"

"That depends completely on you." He set the sketchbook down between them and leaned in to kiss her.

Kira savored the warmth of his lips. "What if I don't know what to say?"

"Say yes, or no, Kira. I'll understand either way."

She sat back, taking in the humble ring on the finger of the Roman patrician. She'd never imagined a man could propose marriage so beautifully.

"I..."

He seemed to notice her hesitance. "Need more time?"

"No, no, I don't need more time, Trent."

He touched her cheek. "Then what is it?"

"I just... I don't know how to answer you in a way that will hold a candle to the proposal of Sir Mercer."

Trent laughed. "Just a single word, that's all I need."

Kira was interrupted by her cellphone ringing. "I probably should get that."

A second later Trent's phone rang too.

"Hello?" they said in unison.

Kira listened intently, hearing every word said to her in one ear, and feeling every emotion like she had two different brains. "Yes," she said into the receiver, and projected outwardly, answering two questions in one word.

Aisha hung up the phone back in Angel Grove.

"...I'll marry you."

Trent looked up from his conversation with Adam. He hit the end button immediately, taking her in a warm embrace.

Kira looked over his shoulder at the legionnaire, and back at Trent.

"I'll fight for you," Trent told Kira assuredly.

She nodded, understanding what he meant. Their moment had suddenly changed. It wasn't a man on the page going off to a war fought centuries ago, it was them, a reality almost unbearable. It was a moment of happiness and fear so intimately intertwined that they could do nothing but hold on tight and hope that the waves did not wash them away into a sea of emotion.

Taking off his sunglasses, Casey Rhodes looked down the street at Rockporium in the town of Briarwood, California. He could see several figures inside, none of them customers. Two of them were women, huddled together in the corner next to the window, one of them crying hopelessly, her black hair longer than the other's.

"You know," a voice called from behind him. "Women really hate that; you watching them when they're crying."

Casey turned, confused. He saw Lily Chilman behind him. "Lily?" he asked with a confused look. "What are you doing here?" he hugged her, savoring the smell of her orchid perfume.

"I couldn't let you do this alone," she told him, burying her face in his leather jacket. "Everything is going to change, Casey."

He looked back at Madison and Vida. "I know," he whispered into her hair. The breeze picked up suddenly and caught them as a motorcyclist stopped beside them.

"Do I know you?" the man asked quietly, his dark eyes threatening.

"You're Nick Russell," Casey said firmly. "Leader of the Mystic Force Power Rangers."

Nick paused, throwing his helmet over the handlebars. "And you are?"

"Casey Rhodes, we need to talk."

Nick nodded. "If you plan on making sense of that nice phone call I just received, I'm all ears, if not, I have business to attend."

"Business like making your lover cry?" Casey asked haughtily. "You're a real ass these days."

Nick smirked. "Don't pretend like you know me."

Lily stepped between them. "Please, don't start this."

Casey forced her out of the way. "You have no idea what it means to be a hero. After everything you went through, you didn't learn a thing. How jaded can you get before you crack into a million pieces?"

"Back off," Nick said quickly, "I don't need your crap."

"Well, someone has to do something about you, and I don't see anyone else lining up."

"The world is about to end..." Lily shouted. "Do this later," she begged.

"There is no later, Lily," Casey told her harshly. "Nick. I don't care how alone you feel. You've made it that way. Your destiny is what you make of it. Stop acting like a spoiled baby. You have powerful magic that this team needs right now. I'm begging you to get over this and do what's right."

"What is 'right'? I don't even know who I am," Nick turned away.

"I think you do know," Casey argued. "I think you know exactly where you want to be. Nobody's stopping you. Turn your back and you'll never know."

"Who taught you to be so smart?" Nick asked with a pained look. "How would you know what it's like to be burdened like this?" He grabbed his head as his eyes glowed red. "I want this to end. Can you do that, Casey? No. You can't make me normal. You can't stop this. I'm changing inside." He closed his eyes and felt the power ripping through his body looking for an escape. "I can't control it anymore."

"You really are a fool if you don't think there are people who can help you with that. You've got to accept help, Nick. This isn't just about you anymore. You are Udonna and Leanbow's son, but that is not all you are meant to be."

"It seems to me like you know more about me than I do. I get that feeling a lot. I'm sick and tired of you people holding out on me. You should have had the guts to come out and say it at the wedding instead of hiding in the bushes."

Lily leaned back against the nearest tree. "That was neither the time, nor the place to tell everyone they are going to fight or they are going to die."

"Maybe so," Nick said with anger, "but we're still going to die, and now we've lost precious time." He looked inside at Madison and Vida. His eyes lingered on them for a long moment before he looked back at Casey. "Do you honestly believe there's hope?"

"Why, don't you?" Lily turned away, unable to look either of them in the face at that moment. When the leaders started to doubt themselves, everything became that much more difficult. "Are you just going to give up?"

"That's what I do, give up." Nick walked away, across the street and into the Rockporium without another word.

"What do we do, Casey?"

Casey turned back to her and put his hand on her cheek. "I need you to get to Silver Hills and rally with Dom and the others. I will deal with this."

"I'm scared..."

He looked over at Nick and Xander and Chip standing outside, the silent screams coming from their lips. "I don't think there is any one of us who isn't."

Eric forced himself upright on the bed. "Wes?" he called weakly. "What is this?" he held out his hand, it was starting to flicker.

Wes ran to his side and took his hand. Eric had begun to cough uncontrollably and his vitals were spiking. "Doctor!!" Wes cried, holding on to Eric's hand as to not let go.

"No, Wes," Eric said calmly. "I think we need to let this happen."

"The hell we will. I'm not going to let you die for him. This was a stupid idea..." Wes looked over painfully at the mirror. His own image was pinched and worn. He could feel the beating of his heart, mercilessly slow.

Don't give up, Wesley Collins, the voice of Demetria told him again and again. You will live to fight this battle to the end. Don't give up.

It was hard to listen to the voice. She was leeching him dry like a vampire.

"Eric, we need to hold on," Wes told him adamantly. "Just a little longer, okay. Just until Zordon gets enough strength to hold his own."

Eric nodded. He closed his eyes again, remembering better times. More than a few of the thoughts were ones that had been rather unpleasant at their time.

Taylor entered the room and stood by Wes's chair. "Hey, would you mind coming out with me for a moment?"

Wes stood up shakily, nearly crashing into the wall. "Yeah, sure."

Taylor took his arm and supported him as they entered the silent room next door. "Wes," she started, feeling the weight on him against her. "Promise me that you will get some rest tonight."

He looked back at her. "I wish that was something I could promise." He twisted off the cap on his water bottle and drank the whole thing in less than a minute.

"There's something I need to tell you, and I don't want Eric to know right now..." she started.

The street was dark; the headlights of Alyssa's Volkswagen Jetta barely penetrated the mire. She had never been forced to find Cole's house in the dark and it was extremely difficult. The trees casted strange shadows all over the car causing her small West Highland White Terrier to whine.

She dialed Cole's cell and waited patiently for his voice.

"Cole," she asked, "which street is it again?"

"21 West Elm," he told her, his voice shaking.

"Tiger," she told the dog harshly, as he tried to climb under her feet and by the pedals of the car. "We'll be there in a minute."

During the next few minutes, the trees continued to throw her into darkness, but eventually she made out a street about ten miles outside Turtle Cove.

As she approached Cole's door she could hear his Golden Retriever barking at the door, the wind lingered around her.

"Cole?" she asked as she entered the room .

"Back here," he called from his bedroom.

As she set Tiger down and came around the corner she saw him kneeling by the bed with a wet cloth and pan of water. On the bed was a figure with a large gash on her forehead and blood dripping from her mouth.

The dress she wore was unmistakable.

"Shayla," she cried as she rushed to Cole's side.

"She can't hear me," a voice riddled with pain cried from the corner of the room.

Alyssa saw Merrick for the first time. Blood covered his hands.

"It's not his," Cole promised.

She came to his side and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, feeling him shivering and feverish.

"I just found her lying outside my door," he choked.

"Why is she here?" Alyssa asked as she began to clean Merrick's hands with a towel.

"She tried to warn me..." He looked up at her, his face covered with tears. "I feel her slipping away."

Alyssa touched his forehead, it was burning hot. "How long ago?"

"About an hour. He found me and we brought her here," Cole replied.

"You're exhausted," she told Merrick. "Let's get you on the couch."

"No..." he said, pulling away.

"Merrick, you can't help her."

She forced him into the living room and onto the couch. He didn't have the will to fight her.

"Did you call the others?" Alyssa asked quietly when she returned to Cole's side.

He lowered his voice. "I don't think they'll make it in time."

"Don't you say that," she told him, feeling a tear start to slide down her face.

Merrick had returned from the living room, limping like a wounded animal, he collapsed against Shayla's limp form, lying beside her and stroking her hair.

"I never should have let her go."

"You did what she wanted you to do. She knew that there was a life here for you, Merrick. This is your world. She wanted you to have a normal life because she loves you."

"That's a lie."

"You've spent so much time watching over her that you never once took care of yourself." Alyssa grabbed Cole's hand and they left him alone.

"I can't forget what it was like being with you," Merrick said quietly into her ear. "I'm not strong without you, I had no idea how hard it was going to be." He stopped and kissed her. "I need you, even if you no longer need me."

Shayla stirred, her pail face still the image of grace.

"I love you so much. You brought me here, to my friends, to my family..."

The faint aura of her thoughts raced into his head. She was pulling him into her mind, deeper than he'd thought possible.

"Merrick," she said wistfully. "I wish we had more time."

"You can't mean that."

"You have to let me go, dear one." She kissed his lips tenderly. "You know what you have to do."

"Don't make me leave you."

"This world is greater than you or me. Just listen to me one more time, once more. In this world or the next I will see you again. I will find you..." she wrapped her arms around him as he fell to his knees.

Merrick opened his eyes, Tiger licked his hand with a small pink tongue.

Shayla's hand held on to his inexplicably, then she disappeared in a shower of white light.

Cole and Alyssa rushed in. The bed was empty, the blood-stained linen clean and crisp.

Commander Logan looked down at Jen's face, written with a ferocity that she hadn't expected to see from him.

"Sir?"

He turned away and let Alex step forward. "Jen."

"Alex?" She noticed that he had a broken sort of expression written all over his face.

"I don't know what future awaits you anymore Jen. I lost track of you a long time ago."

"What are you talking about?"

"This message." He handed her a printout.

"I wrote this?"

"Yes, you did, I've held on to it all these years. It was passed on with explicit instructions for a thousand years."

Jen looked over at Alex's face.

"I wanted to let you know in private."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" She could scarcely believe it.

"Yes, Jennifer."

"Alex,"

"You were lost to me a long time ago, Jen. I need to move on, and so do you. It's time to make some changes."

Katie, Trip, and Lucas appeared at the doorway. "I just wanted to see you off personally," he told them.

Jen nodded. She didn't know what was coming, but she knew that if she survived there was hope for her world. She had to fight for that. She packed all of her belongings with Katie quietly.

Katie was still in shock. Trip hadn't said anything. Lucas just nodded brusquely. This time it was almost too much to even contemplate what was about to happen to them.

It was raining with a newfound fury when they all managed to convene in the BioLab boardroom. The window panes were coated in water, leaving a murky shadow of the world outside, a world without sunshine. The massive hall was littered with people huddled closely, trying desperately to hold together.

Massive screens displayed each of the base commanders, their faces grim and not the least bit comforting.

"I'm sorry to have brought you here, but the circumstances for all of us has become dire at best. Several days ago Eric and I were given a rude awakening by destiny. Here we all are, awaiting that fate to which we have been called. I'm not going to lie to you, or make any false impressions. I am going to be frank with all of you, we need a plan and it has to be quick. Zordon is alive and he has come back to warn us of our impending doom. I don't know where, or how, or why, but we are being singled out for a massive aerial attack. As Jason can confirm, the planets of Triforia and Aquitar have already been assaulted. Triforia seems to have fallen to the enemy, and Aquitar is in the process of evacuating all it's citizens. Andros has confirmed the presence of unknown spacecraft around KO-35. Several hours ago a large warship was sighted in Mirinoian space. Attacks are being logged all over the neighboring star systems." Wes turned to his screen and brought up a new slide. "Global Security Forces is working on preparing a fleet to fight these invaders in our time, but unfortunately for them, this even seems out of their hands to control."

Sky Tate stood up carefully, assessing the audience carefully. "Prior to the distress signal received at SPD base, we had no record of any destructive event occurring within the next several months. It came as a surprise to me that a large-scale attack like this would be absent from our logs, however, there doesn't appear to be a record of it, anywhere. This led my team to believe that the person, or entity, behind these attacks has managed to manipulate time, complete their plan, and wipe it from history, rendering future teams such as us from providing any valuable assistance.

"Had this even occurred naturally, we would have been able to send a team to the source of the conflict and stop it before it came to fruition," Jen continued. "As it were, there was only a handwritten message sent by myself and locked in a safe that led me to any conclusion about what is going on here."

Wes looked up at the screen. "These ships are meant to fight enemies that can be seen, our soldiers can only fight armies that they can physically battle. If this event occurs within a time dilation field, this entire event could happen and be done with before anyone realizes what happened. We might be the only ones who can stop this, and if we can, it will take every ounce of power and cunning we can muster."

It was Billy's turn to take over the explanation. "There is no technology in the known universe that we can use to stop a time dilation field unless we know the source. And, seemingly, it's too late for that. My wife is in a coma, which as far as I can tell isn't likely to end any time soon. We've lost any connection to Aquitar that we might have had. Contrary to what was believed just half an hour ago, Aquitar and Triforia have been marked as destroyed." He stepped away from the podium and sat down in his chair heavily. He looked completely worn out.

Taylor stood up hesitantly, holding on to Eric's hand still as she spoke. "Last night Princess Shayla was murdered in cold blood while trying to get a message to us. Whoever is behind these attacks is cunning. They know who to hit to do us the most damage, and to keep us in the dark. They will stop at nothing to get Zordon and Demetria. We have to move fast if we stand any chance of saving this planet."

"We could call for reinforcements from other Earth-based teams," Carter considered.

"I don't think any amount of reinforcing will do us much good at this point, Mr. Grayson," Andrew Hartford told him stoically from his office in San Angeles. "There are other evils in this world that are going to need their attention. If we stop the usual routine, this world will tear itself apart, we won't need any alien forces."

"He's right," William Mitchell agreed. "We're on our own here. There just aren't enough heroes out there."

"What the hell good is Superman if he can't help us out during the big game?" Zack asked pessimistically. "Hell, the guy never made an appearance to help out in the 17 years I've been a part of this!"

"Saving the world is a daily thing these days," Vida said hopelessly. "Maybe he's been busy." There wasn't a trace of sarcasm in her voice.

"We're not strong enough to hold off an alien fleet. All our Zords are either destroyed or inoperable. Our powers are iffy at best. What good can we possibly be?" Ashley stood up and glared at Mitchell. "There is no way we'll survive."

"Then we'll die trying," Andros replied. He looked over at his wife and brushed away a tear forming in the corner of her eye.

Sydney Drew looked toward the wall with all the base leaders lined up and their pained expressions written clearly for everyone to see. "There has to be some hope, we're still alive. If Earth had been wiped out, we'd be dead. The timeline is in tact, somehow we make it through this."

Katie looked over at her, wishing that she could tell her what she knew about time travel. It was a fifty-headed monster, they still hadn't worked all the kinks out of it, a thousand years in the future.

"There is a possibility that even if you died in this time you would still be here. You would no longer be the you from this reality, but the you from an alternate reality displaced by the change in the timeline. I'm sorry, Syd, but there is no saying what will happen. The future is always changing, and we can't control it the way he hope to every time." Jen had just given her the gallows news. She hung her head and looked away, trying not to feel like she was going to die.

"If we die here as kids, what happens to us when we go back, do we not exist, do we go poof?" Jack asked her. "If I'm not around to become me?"

"You will have no way to return to your time, you will become the product of this reality, and if it no longer matches the one from whence you came, you will likely never find the way back. In short, Jack, if we fail in any form, you will never see Ally or your son. A harsh reality, but an all too real one."

What little flicker of hope everyone had had just died with Jen Scott's words. "I'm sorry, but the fact is our battle is not only against space, but against time, and we're playing with our own lives."

"We need a plan," RJ said quietly from the back. "We need a plan now and it has to be a good one. We've got one shot at this, or we can all sit here and die like little blades of grass being driven into a lawn mower. The Masters foresaw a day like this, when the Power Rangers would be forced to make a very difficult decision. Our choices will mark salvation or destruction for the entire world, and maybe beyond."

"We've never had to deal with something like this before," Max cried. "It was always so much easier when we knew who we were fighting against. It didn't seem like we we're going to win sometimes, but it always played out in our favor in the end. How can we be sure that will happen this time?"

"You are a bowler, Max, one day you strike, the next all the pins laugh at you. It is all a matter of what you are meant to do," Sensei Kanoi said quietly from his place at the Wind Ninja Academy.

"The fact is that no amount of brightly colored spandex is going to make any sort of difference, even if we still had that power," Eric said weakly.

"Eric-san is correct," Master Mao replied solemnly. "The time has come for a different sort of power."


	8. Chapter 8: Our Time

Our Time

Vida Rocca exhaled heavily and shrugged her shoulders, hoping to loosen them enough to get a good blow at him as he walked through the door.

"What are you doing?" Chip asked her as he came inside with the first bag of groceries that they were taking to their hotel suites.

"Don't want to know," she told him. "Just get inside."

"What?" he set down the bag and looked outside. Vida was staring at Nick who was coming up the stairs.

Vida lunged, cuffing Nick's nose.

Xander grabbed Vida just as she prepared for another swing.

Nick wiped his nose of his sleeve and looked up carefully. "Okay, I saw that coming, what took you so long"

Vida glared hard at him, disgusted that he could laugh off her anger.

"You don't even care about us, do you? You selfish jerk. After everything we did together, you just don't get it."

"Oh, no, Vida, I understand perfectly. I get it that Madison is too big of a weenie to confront me herself. She just hides behind you. It's sad really."

"Don't you start."

Xander and Chip backed out of the room as Daggeron came to stand between Vida and Nick.

"Get out of the way," Nick ordered.

"I don't think so," Daggeron said firmly. "You need to cool off."

"He's right, get out of my way so we can finish this." Vida brought her hands up again and lunged at Nick. Daggeron grabbed her arm.

"Vida," he said firmly. "This isn't going to solve anything."

"The hell it isn't. Momma's boy over there needs a good spanking."

Nick burst out laughing. "Bring it on Vee. Hit me. It's exactly what I deserve."

Vida kicked out hard, connecting hard with his chest.

Madison walked around the corner, noticing Nick reeling back and Vida fighting against Daggeron's bear-like grip.

"What's going on here?" she asked, watching the blood run down Nick's face.

"We're letting off some steam," Vida said quickly. "Don't worry about it."

"This is about me, isn't it?" Madison said with a groan.

"Oh, no, baby, this isn't about you at all." Nick stood up and began taunting Vida again.

"I don't think this is the time or the place for you to unleash any masochistic tendencies," Robert James Finn called up the stairs as he entered the room. He let go of the banister and swung up next to Nick. "We need you out there."

Casey came in behind him. "Good luck, RJ. This one is practically falling apart at the seams."

"I am not," Nick yelled. "My business is my business, just stay out of it!"

RJ stepped forward and put a hand on Nick's chest. "Please, now is not the time."

"On the contrary," a voice from the doorway said quietly. "There is no better time."

The group turned to see a man none of them had ever met standing on the precipice. He was of a stout build, his hair dark, his eyes darker. His complexion was almost white, his lips a startling red. He wore a long coat made of black leather that reaches his ankles, covering most of his knee-high boots. His height was hard to guess, but from below them, he seemed to tower in presence.

"There is no time but the present, and no better place than here to fix the pain." He walked quietly up the stairs and past RJ, barely acknowledging his presence. Casey hugged the wall as he walked past, down the hallway, holding Nick's arm and dragging him along like a rag doll. As he touched Madison, she too followed him instinctively. He entered the nearest suite and ordered them inside. He closed the door with a sweep of his arm.

"Who are you?" Vida asked with a startled expression.

The man turned, looked back at her with cool indifference. "An ally."

Chip held out a glass of water, the man took it and placed it on the mantelpiece, not taking a sip. "Thank you," he said brusquely, nodding to the red-head.

"Can we help you with something?" one of them said weakly.

"I need to speak with Cassie Chan," the man told them. "I was told she would be here."

"She's not here," RJ told him firmly. "But I can take you to her."

The dark eyes hovered over him. "That would be best," he shouldered his way past Lily to the door. He barely noticed Theo, who came to the middle of his bicep.

"I can take you to her if you tell us what business you have, and who you are."

The man turned. "You have a strong sense of self for such a tried man, Robert. I was expecting someone... a little less... how would you put it..."

RJ glared over at him with his green eyes. "What?"

"Never mind," the man said quickly. "Come wolf. I will do my best."

Casey leaned in and whispered something into RJ's ear.

"Don't worry, Casey, you can trust me."

Casey backed away, startled.

"I am not your enemy. Your enemy will be far darker than I am."

Lily grabbed Theo's hand uncertainly and pulled him up the stairs with her.

RJ nodded. "Tell Dom I'll be back later and we'll talk then," he said as he made his way down the stairs and out into the daylight.

The man stood impatiently in the light, waiting with his arms crossed over his chest. "I must find her quickly," he told RJ with urgency.

"Why Cassie?"

"Of all of you, I think she will be the only one who will believe me when I reveal myself."

"Reveal yourself?" RJ pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number, his eyes never leaving the man standing beside him.

"I wish I had come under better circumstances," he said grimly. "It's been a decade since I've been to your planet. Those times were little better."

RJ closed his phone silently. "She's staying there," he said, pointing to the rooms not far away, on the other side of a massive statue that divided the courtyard of the Silver Hills Inn.

"I wonder..." he said to no one in particular.

"You owe me an explanation."

The man held out his gloved hand. "I don't know if this will mean anything to you."

RJ took a small device from his hand. "What is it?"

"I didn't expect you to know what it is." He pocketed the device quickly. He pulled off one of his gloves and held out his hand. "What about this?"

RJ examined the robotic technology embedded in his hand. "What is that for?"

The man smiled. "The people of KO-35 were born with telekinetic abilities. On my planet, we were not so lucky. We do things a little differently." He focused on a penny sitting near the statue and forced it to fly up into his hand.

"It does other things as well," He ran a hand through his black hair. "Things that make that look like child's play."

RJ backed away slightly.

"Treats for another time," he said pensively. "Now, take me to Cassie."

RJ sighed, realizing he was liable to get a headache and little else out of his companion.

The man followed RJ to the door, and knocked.

Ashley popped her head out the door. "Hey," she said with surprise. "Can I help you with something?"

"This man here needs to see Cassie."

The man nodded, watching Ashley as she walked back inside. His eyes seemed to lighten with recognition.

"You know her," RJ realized.

"Knew her," he corrected. "It was a different life."

Cassie came outside, looking at the man's face, she didn't seem to know him. "I'm Cassie," she told him.

"I know," he told her. "I never forgot your face."

Ashley went back inside. Cassie stood confused.

"Can you give us a moment, Robert?" he asked with a dismissing nod.

RJ stepped inside and closed the door.

"Do I know you?" Cassie asked, narrowing her eyes.

"It was far too much to expect that you would recognize me after all this time." He sighed and brought a hand to her cheek. "Don't be afraid, Cassie."

For a moment the hand lingered, then she didn't feel it anymore. The man was gone.

She turned, searching all around her. She felt a hand on her back. Her hair slipped through fingers she couldn't see.

"Do you remember me?" he asked, dissolving into a man again in front of her.

"Phantom?" she said with surprise. "I thought you..."

"Disappeared?" he said with a chuckle. "Things have been different since my father was taken, since he was tortured and, finally until he was killed by a man standing in the room behind you."

Cassie's eyes went wide.

"My feelings for you always got me into trouble," he reminisced.

"It is you," she realized. "You're Zordon's son."

He smiled again, his teeth a perfect row of white. "In the flesh."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly surprised to see him again after ten years, and face the startling new revelations about his identity.

"Eltar has been attacked. I just may be the last of my race, Cassie."

She stood, her face stretched thin. "What's happening?"

He took her hand in his own. "I am afraid of that which I don't know. This is one of those things."

"Come inside," she told him. "We can figure this out together."

He stepped back. "I don't think I can."

"Of course you can."

"Things are different now, Cassie."

"How so?" she asked.

He looked away, seemingly lost in his thoughts. "I'm not a part of your team."

"That doesn't matter."

"They won't understand me, believe me, I know."

"You trusted RJ to bring you here."

The Eltaran nodded. "He is different, different in a way that even he doesn't quite understand."

"I'm asking you to trust me," Cassie urged, taking his hand again. She turned his head toward hers. "I don't even know your name."

"There was a reason I never told you."

"Then tell me now. If this really is the end of everything, what does it matter?"

With a turn of his dark head, he moved closer. "Loving you almost got me killed, Cassie, and loving me almost killed you. Are you sure you want that burden?"

"It's just a name," she told him adamantly.

"If it was just a name, you wouldn't care."

She nodded. "Ah, I see."

"Gavriel," he told her. "My name is Gavriel."

"All these years, I always wondered what happened to you."

"I'm amazed you gave me a second thought."

"Did you think of me?" she asked.

"You were the one person here that I missed, Cassie. I thought about you every day."

She turned away to hide the heat rising in her cheeks.

"But the time for romance is not now, I'm sure we'd both agree."

"Uh, yeah," she said quickly. "Right."

"Take me inside," he decided finally. "Maybe I can be of use somehow."

"You do realize why we're in Silver Hills?"

"No. What would that reason be?" He fiddled with the glove on his hand.

"Gavriel, your father is alive."

The dark eyes flared for a moment, like clouds swirling in a thunder cloud just before a tornado. "That's impossible."

Cassie nodded, "That's what we thought. But he's here. I swear to you."

He grabbed her shoulders and brought her against his chest. "Tell me where he is!"

Cassie groaned. "He's at BioLab," she told him, stopping him with a firm grip to his forearm. "Don't go."

"I have to," he told her. "If he's alive..."

"Gav, he's dying. He came to warn us but his body is breaking down. Please, I don't want you to see him like that."

"That isn't your choice."

"We need you here. We'll go in the morning. We're all going back..." she promised.

Andros came to the window and looked out at them, hearing the change in their voices.

"You shouldn't worry about her," Ashley told him calmly. "Cassie can handle herself. Come eat something."

"Your burrito is getting cold!" TJ called.

Andros looked back at the room with indifference. "I'm not hungry."

Ashley wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "What is it?"

He looked down and then at her face. She was trying to hold it together, but he could tell that when she'd gone to the bathroom she'd been crying. "I'm not going to pretend that everything is going to be all right, Ashley."

"I don't like seeing you like this," she told him.

"What, being realistic? Face it , Ashley, we're out manned, out gunned, and they have the upper hand."

"I'm not giving up."

He forced a smile. "That's just like you. You'd run in front of a bus if you thought you had a chance of making it across."

"That's not true, and you know it. Have a little faith in us."

"KO-35 is next Ashley. My home planet is going to be wiped out and there is nothing I can do. I'm here because this is what we do, but I should be there."

"I know."

He turned into her shoulder. "It's times like this when being a ranger of both worlds is hardest."

She kissed his cheek. "I know, but you made the right choice, Andros. We need you here. This planet is six billion strong, and each and every one of those people needs you right now."

He nodded, accepting her embrace. Over her shoulder, he continued to stare out the window at the man standing with Cassie. He had stopped shaking, and was standing there like a dog who had tracked mud through the house. His body was tense, like he expected a slap at any moment. His dark clothes and hair contrasted even more with his milky skin as the sun began to fade.

The sun was melting at last behind the mountains that gave Silver Hills it's name. Peaks that truly did look silver when the light reflected just right. Dana crawled into bed with a distinct fear that she might never have another good night's rest.

The moon was peeking through the window, making eerie shadows through the lace curtains. She heard Carter, Joel and Chad in the other bedroom talking. She wondered how many of her friends would actually find sleep at all that night. The bed beside her was empty and it made her lonely.

She put her head down on the pillow and breathed in a little. A couple of tears began to roll down her cheeks. As a doctor, she knew hard times were coming.

Carter came in a few minutes later, turned off the light and crawled into the other bed.

"You asleep?" she asked quietly.

Carter propped himself up on his elbow. "No."

She sighed. "I can't stop thinking."

"Then don't think," he told her with complete control.

"You can't turn off your brain," she said wistfully. "If I could I would have already."

Carter silently agreed. He stood up and came to her bed. He sat down next to her. "Try to get some sleep." he told her. "Just lie down and let yourself slide away."

"I wish that was possible," she told him.

"I know what you mean," he whispered after a while, clutching his spare pillow close to his chest.

"Carter?" she asked.

He stood up and walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge.

"What is it?" he brushed her hair with his fingers.

"Do you remember when the worst thing we thought could happen was Diabolico and then Impus showed up? That's how this feels, but worse."

Carter stepped over her and lay with his arm around her. "I remember that we succeeded against all odds. We rebuilt Lightspeed, and we're still here."

"What would I do without you?" she asked quietly. "You're always there to remind me what's important."

He sighed and closed his eyes, resting his head on her shoulder, and quickly fell asleep.

Taylor spent the majority of the night sitting beside Eric's bed, gaging his breath, trying to tell if the day had worn him out more than he was letting on. He was sleeping peacefully as far as she could tell. She woke at midnight and stood up for a while, moving her hand from his.

The moon was high over them. It was a beautiful night, if a little deceptive in nature.

She sat back down beside him and took his hand again. He squeezed her hand a little as she took it again.

"You didn't tell me you were awake," she chided. "Eric, you need your sleep."

"I'm good," he told her. "Really, I feel better for some reason." He opened his eyes and looked over at her.

Taylor sat forward, "Better how?"

"Like I'm not being sucked dry."

"How is that possible?"

"The only way that would be possible is if..."

"Zordon is awake..."

"...Or he died."

Taylor took out her phone. "Should I call Wes?"

Eric shrugged. "I don't see the point. Let him get some sleep."

She sat back down next to him.

"You didn't have to stay here," he told her. "I didn't expect it."

Taylor nodded but didn't say anything. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Eric turned on his side and watched her, his hand still holding hers. For the first time in a week he didn't feel like he was going to keel over and die. He didn't know if that was good or bad.


	9. Chapter 9: Shattered Peace

Shattered Peace

Jason stood up, feeling like he was Atlas with the weight of the world balanced precariously on his shoulders. He didn't have the luxury of being a god. Already he could feel mortal blood spilling from his veins. He knew what it was like to fight and kill actual men. He knew what it was like to look at the face of an enemy that looked and felt just as he did. Jason had seen a man die at his feet that wasn't a creature created by some alien creature bent on domination. It made it that much harder to face death.

A shadow was rising to replace the sun. Their enemy had already claimed the lives of all on Triforia and Aquitar who had not escaped to the stars. He didn't know who they were, or where they were coming from , but he knew that they came under the banner of starting a new beginning. They wanted to destroy the universe, to create it again in a new image from the ashes.

"Come to bed, Jase," Emily told him. "Just come to bed."

He couldn't stand to look at her. Every time he did, he kept replaying the day's events in his head. He kept thinking about how he had to leave her.

"Jason, look at me."

Jason turned around and looked at his wife. "I don't know how we're supposed to stop this, Em."

She took his hand. "You guys are the best, you'll figure it out."

"We're only so many, how can we defend the whole planet."

"You used to do it all the time, Jason."

"That was different. Rita, Zedd, Divatox, they were jokes, Emily. They were stupid perverted creatures with a thirst that was quenched with a little destruction. They always stopped with one or two swipes at a building and came back another day, this, I don't think that this will stop with a few buildings. I think this is going to spread until the whole world is gone." He closed his hand around hers. "The world will burn until there is nothing but ash and smoke and everything that we know and love is utterly destroyed. There will be no water to quench the fires, for they will raze even the oceans."

"You won't let that happen, Jason."

"How can I stop it?"

"Concentrate the attack. You know it's possible. If you can, get them all here, all the soldiers, you are strong enough in a large group to fight them, Jason."

He turned to face her. "I think I know what you're talking about. You're talking about a suicide."

"No, I mean detonate your morphers, release their power on them. Finish it, Jason."

"There isn't enough power in them."

"Zordon told you that your Power came from your hearts. You can do it Jason. A concentrated blast in the central part of the city, just enough to stop them."

"It might work, theoretically. That is, supposing that they all attack Angel Grove, and not the rest of the world as well."

"Give them what they want."

"That's insane."

"Give them destruction, give them their rebirth. Let them raze Angel Grove. Let them come for the cheese and be caught in the trap."

"We would have to evacuate."

"If you evacuate, the plan won't work."

"I can't believe you're suggesting this!" Jason shouted. "You're suggesting that we use innocents as bait."

"I'm suggesting exactly what I know you were thinking, Jason. A few deaths to save the rest of humanity. That is a casualty well worth it."

"I won't use you as bait."

She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Jason, you and I both know that martial arts and fancy suits alone aren't going to save us this time. The Power Rangers can't do this without help."

He knew she was right. "What if things don't go as planned?"

"You know what the alternative is, Jason. Don't fail."

He nodded. "All right, I'll tell the others our plan."

"Now come to bed, Jason."

He relaxed. "One last night?"

"No, just an ending to a chapter." She let her blonde hair out, tumbling down her shoulders. She turned out the light and lit the candles so that they cast firefly shadows in the darkness.

Somehow Jason would have to get the others to agree to his plan.

And they had to execute it to an uncanny precision.

If they failed now, the entire world would pay the price. Every last living being would exhale one last time and feel the life leave their lungs like the summer sun shrinking beneath the everlasting clouds.

"Wes?" Jen woke to find him standing near the window, fully dressed. He turned and looked back at her, his face drawn.

"What's wrong?" she asked, jumping out of bed and coming to his side.

He turned away and continued staring out the window. "I keep thinking..." he said quietly. "What if we weren't meant to know about this, because we die."

"I would never keep that from you."

He turned back and stared hard into her brown eyes. "It goes against everything we stand for. You can't know your future, or you change it and everything is wiped out. Billions of lives will never exist. You might not realize it, Jen. But if you knew my fate, you wouldn't tell me. No one would."

"I've broken the rules before, Wes. If I could see what is going to happen, I would do everything I could to make sure we survive this."

He stopped her by putting a firm hand on her shoulder. "Just stop, Jennifer."

"Stop what?" she cried out. "I'm here with you, and if we die we'll die together. I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm not afraid to die if I'm with you."

"What's it like to be from the future, Jen? What's it like to know every single horrible event that happened in the past could be stopped and you can't do anything? I've never asked you, because I never wanted to know."

"It's not my job..."

"Not your job to save people?" He turned away again.

"It's not my job to change the past. I have to live with that. My job is to make sure that others, like Ransik, don't."

"Then why do you keep coming back here, Jen? Why are you here?"

She threw a pillow across the room. "I'm here because this is what I was born to do, Wesley. Can't you just be happy with that? I am a Power Ranger, I follow orders, I do what my commander says I have to do to keep the timeline. I'm here because it was meant to be. Why can't you just be happy with that?"

Wes turned and caught her lips with his own. "I can't take this any more, Jen. I can't face having you leave again. Each time you come back to me it's a little harder to say goodbye."

He turned and grabbed his keys, closing the door behind him and walking off toward his motorcycle.

Jen stood in stunned silence, her fingers lingering over the place where his lips met hers. The skin felt broken into a thousand pieces.

The BioLab auditorium was even more silent the moment everyone took their seats for the final deliberations. Tommy stood up and moved toward the front of the room.

"News arrived today that KO-35 was attacked last night. The colony has suffered extensive damage, but reports speculate that as many as fifteen hundred people have managed to escape the carnage in underground passages. That is more than half of the population. Sad as it is, this is the best news we've received this week."

Andros clutched his sister's hand tightly, glanced over at Zhane and felt himself begin to slowly unravel.

"Triforia has been scouted by a ship in the area and has been confirmed as uninhabitable. Aquitar has also been marked as a casualty. Eltar's current state is unknown, but is also being considered a loss. Mirinoi has been spared currently, but we don't know if or when an attack will arise there."

"On the up side, we now know a time frame for an attack on Earth. A select few stations here on Earth that know about the attack have put a ball-park figure at thirty-six hours from now. The time dilation field around the main cruiser will envelop Earth at exactly seven AM Pacific time tomorrow. At this time we will all be suspended in a single moment. To the world outside it will seem as though the event of the attack will happen in less than actual time. As was seen with the prior attacks on several worlds, the ship arrived, and was gone before the planets nearby realized what was happening."

"Tommy isn't exactly sure how to describe this all to you," Billy said quickly, "So I've prepared a little simulation for you all." Billy started a video as he spoke.

"Basically, the ship warps in from outside our basic understanding of time, from a place in the future or whatnot, and causes a massive shift in the time around it. This causes a ripple effect around the warp zone, the planet seems to stand still, allowing massive amounts of destruction in a moment's time. Think of a rock hitting water, when the rock hits the water it does damage to the surface layer immediately, but it takes several moments for the ripples to dissipate long enough for us to see where the rock struck the surface. Imagine if you could freeze time at the exact moment the rock hits the water. By the time everyone realized what was happening, the rock would already have done damage, everything else is aftershock."

Kira raised her hand, "Could you tell me how this is relevant at this point in time. I get the fact that we're screwed, I don't need a physics lesson."  
Billy nodded, realizing how frustrated everyone was getting. "The point is, we might be able to do this in a way that causes minimal damage if we focus the attack on a single point." He started his simulation again. "One rock in a pond is much better than say- five or six rocks at once..."

"So what you're saying is that we need to have our army attract the hostiles to a single point on Earth and hope we can take them out before the time field catches up with us and they move on before we realize what hit us," Taylor said quickly without pause.

"Exactly. The ship will be most vulnerable just as it starts it's attack. The moment when the rock hits the pond and we are trapped in the time field is when we have to move. If we can stop them within this window, we just might be able to survive this attack."

"They tried that on Eltar," Gavriel said impatiently. "They tried to stop the field from causing dilation, but it didn't work. The enemy soldiers kept them at bay long enough to beat the window. They accelerated their speed and were gone before my people knew what hit them."

"For God's sake people, shut the hell up!" Hunter yelled. "I have a huge headache right now and your not making it any better." He stood up and leaned against the chair ahead of him. "What's the plan and how do we make it work?"

"He's right. We're wasting time," Blake agreed. "Arguing about how we're going to die isn't helpful."

"Jason," Tommy said, stepping down and letting his friend take the stage.

"I have a plan, and I know how we can stop what happened on Eltar from happening here."

Gavriel smirked. "I'm sure you do."

"We have our powers, maybe it's time to use them. Master Mao said we needed to start thinking about a different kind of power. The source of our Ranger powers still resides inside us, if we can tap that power, we can stop them."

"Stop them how?" Shane asked, "We have a short window to work with here, and from what I know of the morphing grid, most of our powers stopped working years ago."

"We can call on them one last time, with Zordon's help. We can bring them all together to create an energy anomaly that should be strong enough to stop the time dilation field and destroy the enemy ship."

"We should?" Lucas groaned. "That's promising."

"Does anyone else have a better plan?"

Gavriel shook his head. "He's right. The power of the morphers might just give you the advantage that Eltar didn't have. I was wrong to doubt you. My father was right to trust this world's inhabitants with our prized technology."

"Right," Eric said quietly. "I guess this would be a good time to mention that Zordon is awake for those who don't already know."

"He's working on connecting to the grid now," Justin chimed in. "He's got a good amount of power built up right now from Eric's Q-morpher. That should last him long enough to help us out."

"Before he dies," Alyssa said, cementing the fears of everyone in the room.

"Yes," Gavriel said quietly. "His last battle. This will consume the last of his energy. But he would have wanted this."

"What about Demetria?" TJ asked, "What will happen to her?"

"My sister will survive," Gavriel told them assuredly. "She has returned to her human form with the help of Wesley's powers."

Cassie turned toward him. "Your sister?"

"One of two," he told her unflinchingly. "The other was lost long ago to a dark destiny. Her name was changed, her mind destroyed, but we never forgot her. She was not as lucky as the one in this room. The transformation back to her normal state took her life." As he spoke he stared hard at Karone. "Astronema knew her well."

Karone turned away, burying her head in Zhane's shoulder, trying not to travel back to those horrid times when she had been a slave to her own body.

"You all knew her as Divatox, the twin sister of our beloved Demetria"

Carlos closed his eyes as everything began to set in. "Divatox hated Demetria above everyone else. I always wondered why."

"Now you know. The day of truths has come."

"If we have thirty six hours left before game time, I think we need to get some things straight," Adam said, turning the conversation back in on itself. "We need to make sure all our bases are operational, that our teams are coordinated, and that we have all the supplies we need to do this."

"You are exactly right, Adam," Andrew Hartford called from his desk in San Angeles. "Each and every one of you will be given a heart monitor and a communication device similar to those already given to the Lightspeed team by Angela Fairweather. I want you all to make sure they are synced and ready to go. Secondly, each of you will be given a sector of Angel Grove to defend until the time is right for us to create the vortex. Remember, the key point is to stay alive. You are more important than the citizens, try to remember that. Without you, more than a few people are going to die tomorrow. Thirdly, keep in close contact with your teammates. Under no circumstances are you to separate yourselves. If anyone is injured, stay with them and make sure they get to city center by crunch time or the plan is a bust, do you understand me?"

Each of them nodded.

"I've wired each of the devices to connect visually back to each of us," Hayley reminded them from Reefside. "If one of the teams gets into trouble we will attempt to send backup."

"What about Princess Shayla?" Merrick said quietly, barely audibly. "What about her role in all this?"

"Shayla was an unintended casualty of the war raging on Eltar. I'm afraid she was there when the first bombs exploded. I couldn't find her body, Merrick. I'm sorry, I hear she was your lover." Gavriel stood up and walked to Merrick's side. "Eltar will remember her sacrifice when it is reborn."

"That's not good enough. I saw her here before she died. I saw her with my own two eyes."

Gavriel shook his head. "That's impossible."

"Don't tell me that's impossible. I saw her..."

"We all did," Cole promised. "She was there one minute and gone the next."

"In that case, she must have channeled herself just long enough to come to you before she died. You must have meant a great deal to her, Merrick. Teleportation is a rare gift, one used only in the most extenuating of circumstances."

"She can't be dead," Merrick told him. "I won't accept that. I won't..."

"I would know if my cousin still lived, wolf," he promised. "Please forgive me."

Cole took Merrick's shoulder and Alyssa wrapped her arms around his waist. "Mer..."

He brushed them away and pushed his way out the door and out into the streets of Silver Hills. Each step of the way a dark shadow followed him, the shape of a wolf with glowing silver eyes.

"I'm scared dad," Mack said without holding anything back. He was sitting in his room at the hotel, eating an apple in silence.

"I know, Mack. I know." Andrew smiled at his son. "Promise me you'll look out for your team."

Mack nodded. "I could do no less, but, Dad, I'm no superhero, I don't have an indestructible body. I know what it's like to die, and I don't want to die."

"I gave you the only gift I had to give, Mack. I hope that you finally learn how to use it," Andrew said quietly. "Strength is a mindset, Mackenzie. Don't forget that."

He stared up at the ceiling. "Dad?" he asked, not sure if he knew what he was asking. "I never asked you if you were in love. I want to know what it feels like before..."

Andrew shrugged. "I was in love once, with your mother."

"I don't have a mother," Mack said blankly.

"Sure you do," Andrew said with a grin. "I met her in college, Linear Algebra. She was light haired, like you. Her name was Raine. She died that summer in a car accident while on her way home to Virgina."

"What was she like?" Mack asked, sitting back and staring at the dots on the ceiling, counting them, ten-by-ten.

"She was beautiful and kind, I loved her very much. She gave me you, even though she'll never know."

"You do realize how creepy that is, right?" Mack told him blankly.

Andrew sighed. "We all do what we can in life, Mack. We do what we need to keep love alive. Don't forget that." Andrew stared back at his son's face. "Mack, I love you."

"I love you too," Mack said as he turned off the monitor and walked back outside toward Rose and Will who were sitting by the courtyard fountain with their luggage, ready for the inevitable drive to Angel Grove and an uncertain fate.

"What are you thinking?" Blake asked Tori as he sat in the back of the SUV between his brother and her. He held her hand tightly, impulsively.

"You really want to ask that question?" Tori asked, trying to smile but failing half way.

"Right," he said, letting the conversation drop. "What about you, bro?"

Hunter sighed. "Probably the same thing you're thinking, Blake." He ruffled Blake's hair. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen. I was hoping we'd all just ride off into the sunset or something cliché like that. Should have known."

Dustin turned around from the front seat next to Shane. "I'm thinking I need a shower," he said with a wrinkle of his nose. "I feel all yucky inside."

Cam smiled from where he was reading a book in the second row of the SUV next to Conner and Ethan. "I don't think water will wash that away, but let me know if it does."

Conner nodded from where he sat talking to Krista. She kept insisting that she could drive up and meet them, but every time she suggested it, he would shoot her down. "I want you someplace safer than Angel Grove. Stay there, please baby." Krista's voice would raise, and he would calmly tell her he loved her and change the subject. Ethan could tell he just wanted to hear her voice. He needed to know that she would be there for him on the other side.

Ethan shrugged, feeling the need to pull out his PSP for a moment, just so he could finish his last level of Final Fantasy 7 Dirge of Cerberus before the world ended. He sat on his hands, trying not to feel like he was losing control of himself. The flashes of his first morph kept coming back, recollections of power and strength. He felt none of that now.

Tori blasted a tiny spray of water at Dustin from the back and he turned around, blowing her hair into a tiny tornado. She smiled up at him. It felt good to use her power for something fun, if only for one last time.

Shane looked calmly at the road ahead, watching for crazy California drivers that would stop at nothing to beat him to the destination. Even a long line of black SUVs wouldn't stop them from getting antsy. He felt his mind wandering back to Skyla, the weight of her body in his arms, the knowledge that he hadn't saved her still wore him thin, each night he kissed a woman he thought of her and how different she'd made him feel. Like his soul was on fire. He'd never replaced that feeling, and he wondered for a moment what it would be like to join her in death. He wondered if that would be so terrible after all.

Chip sat outside the room, waiting patiently for Nick to open the door and let him in. When the door finally opened, it was Xander who stood there. He was holding a bright flowering bush in his hand.

"What are you doing on the porch?" he asked with a grin.

"I was trying to be polite," Chip said with a smile. "Guess that was fruitless, considering you and Vee..."

"Ah, yeah, guess I should have knocked first," he said with a wink.

Xander handed him the bush and went through the door. Chip followed without a thought. Nick and Madison were sitting on opposite sides of the table with Vida in between them.

Daggeron handed Chip a plate of spaghetti and sat down on the couch. "I appreciate you trying to do the right thing," the older man told him. "But I think we've got things handled, finally."

Madison looked over at him and then down at her lap hastily. It looked to him as though she was trying to suppress the sudden urge to laugh uncontrollably.

"We've all decided to put our best foot forward and try not to let other issues influence us right now."

"Right, that's good," Chip said as he dug into the noodles. He missed the atmosphere of the Rockporium, when they'd used to sit together and laugh about stupid things. That time had ended all too abruptly, leaving him in a world he neither wanted nor understood.

Xander flopped down beside him, calling his mother in Australia with the most serious look Chip had ever seen written on his face. The Xander he knew was suddenly a changed man, a man who seemed like he was coming to grips with his mortality, and what scared him most was that he knew the feeling. Exactly.

Ryan caught Kelsey's chin as she brought it down, pulling her lips against his in one fluid motion that made her dizzy. She closed her ethereal blue eyes and for a moment the only feeling in the world was the feeling of his body against hers.

"Don't be afraid of the future," he told her, touching her bare skin, running his fingers down her neck.

Kelsey nodded, realizing that he was right. She couldn't do anything to change what was coming to them. She had to face it. In a movement her hands were on his bare back, feeling the muscles and skin and she lifted his shirt over his shoulders.

Kelsey let him press her further against their bed of clouds, caress her body and mind. For all her worries, he was remedy. He was life when all things around her were dead and wilting.

"I want to love you forever," he told her with absolution. "You are all I will ever need to feel powerful."

Kelsey smiled, and nudged his chin. "I want that to be enough."

Ryan nodded. They had to go like soldiers to war. Born with a solemn duty, the could never back down.

"Somewhere out there a child will wake up for his last morning tomorrow."

"Don't think about that, Kels," he told her.

"How do you not think about it?"

"If we succeed, the world will forget these days. They will blame them on some freak accident, it will be just another tragedy written in the pages of history. It will be remembered only by a name that means nothing in the end." He kissed her forehead. "People don't want to believe in evil, Kelsey."


	10. Chapter 10: Don't Give Up

Don't Give Up

The alarm blared angrily into his ears and he woke with a start. It was not even light out yet, but already he knew he'd slept too long. The cheap motel linen under his head felt horrible, bleach and sweat scents mixed into a toxic odor. His chest heaved, his heart skipping beats.

He was not going to watch his friends die. He was not going to give up. Never give up. It was one of the Ranger rules.

"Morning sunshine," a groggy voice called from near the sink. Someone was shaving, he couldn't tell who.

"Should've taken someone up on the room offer. Damn bed was a rock," the voice was clearly Damon's.

Kai shrugged and slipped headed over to the sink. "Whatever, it's not like I was going to sleep anyway."

Damon nodded, sticking his toothbrush back in the carrying case. "Nice fluffy dreams too?"

"Yeah, nice fluffy dreams of Trakeena ripping my heart out with her bare hands and feeding it to some demented pet of hers. Sweet dreams, Damon. Real sweet."

The African American ran a hand over his bald pate. "Wonder what sort of things were gonna get today."

"Don't want to know," Kai replied bitterly. "Let's just do our job and get this over with."

"This isn't just a job, Kai." He was fully dressed now and was finishing up with his packing. "We're going to lose some innocent people today."

"No way around it. Yeah, I know. I just feel like I'm making the choices for them, and I don't feel right about it."

"You know the drill. We have to do what saves the most people."

"I'm tired of screwing up, Damon."

Damon scowled back at him. He raised a hand and brushed it across his sleeve. "Never. Give. Up."

Kai nodded and opened the door. The sky was pitch black and the world was silent. "Good morning, Angel Grove."

* * *

It didn't seem possible that it was five thirty. The night had passed by in a fit of raging spirals of darkness that still closed in around them.

Merrick turned over and opened his eyes. Alyssa was lying next to him on the couch, her small form resting against his chest. She stared up at him and reached up with her hand, touching his face and letting her fingertips slide down the length of his cheek. "We'll avenge her, Merrick. I promise."

He nodded, taking her hand and holding it against his heart. "I still feel her, here, and here," he brushed her hand against his temple.

She smiled and brushed her hand away. "I wish we had more time."

Cole came inside and wrapped his arms around her. "We all do, Alyssa."

She leaned back against his shoulder. "I'm glad we're all together. It makes this a little easier."

Danny sighed. "I just wish I knew Kendall was safe."

"You're more than just Elizabeth's cousin, aren't you, Danny," Max said quietly from near the window. He was finishing fastening a new pair of fingerless gloves. He didn't turn around. The smile he usually brought to the group was gone.

Danny shook his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you're lying to us."

"I'd never lie to you," Danny told him, his Columbian accent stronger than ever- which meant only one thing to his best friend. He wasn't being truthful.

"You're her father."

"No way," Danny told him. "I don't have a daughter."

"Then why don't I believe you?" Max said quietly. "Every time Kendall comes with you to an event the two of you act strange. She gets weird and runs off. She's never made any connection with any of us. Why are you hiding this from us?" He turned away. "At the reception, it was all a cover up. You've known all along."

"What?" Taylor called as she came out of the back bedroom. She was toweling her hair and re-braiding it as tightly as she could.

Alyssa took Cole's hand and squeezed a little harder than she mean to. "Danny?"

Danny turned away. "Why are you doing this?"

"Don't you think we deserve to know something as huge as this?" Max said with a grimace. His anger was apparent. "It took me a while to put the pieces together, but you cried out her name in your sleep last night. I heard you call out for Elizabeth."

Taylor put her hands on her hips. "I can't believe you have a daughter and you never told us about her."

"It's complicated."

"Sure it is," she said with as much seething anger as Max was silently wafting from across the room.

"I couldn't tell you, I couldn't admit it to myself."

"What could possibly be so damn complicated, Danny?" Taylor asked bluntly, throwing her towel at him. "You let Z go on thinking you were some distant relative."

"I couldn't let her know..."

"Know what?"

"That I abandoned her."

"What?"

"I don't know where she is," he told them firmly. "It took me about a year to put the pieces together myself."

"Kendall isn't her mother," Merrick realized.

"That's why she gets like that...." He paused. "The first time we contacted SPD using Trip's device on a different frequency, I saw Z and I knew she was my daughter, I didn't know how, but I knew that she was my own blood." He sat down and rubbed his face against his palms.

"You had an affair," Cole said unflinchingly.

Danny nodded miserably. "I don't know what happened to her mother. I haven't seen or heard from her since that night...Kendall told me that if I tried to find her she would leave me."

"You know her mother dies and leaves her orphaned," Alyssa said with disbelief. "You could change that, and you're not going to?"

"He doesn't have a choice," Eric said, taking a sip of black coffee and entering the conversation.. "If he changes Z's childhood at all she won't be found by Cruger in a few years, she won't come to SPD, and she won't become a ranger."

"You've got to be joking," Taylor smirked, looking back at her boyfriend with disbelief.

"He's right. I can't be her father. She can never know me." Danny shook his head in hopelessness.

"We're about to die, Danny. To hell with everything else," Max groaned. "At least you can tell her why you weren't a part of her life."

The air grew heavy around them, laden with unsaid words. They all walked away in silence. Max would not spare his friend even the most guarded glance. The wound was far too deep, the betrayal too fresh. To know that he was not a part of Danny's life when things really mattered was as much a death sentence as the ship coming to destroy his world.

"Good, God," the voices of the rangers echoed. The shattering calm of the darkness didn't lift as the summer morning arrived and the sun did not rise. The world would stop, for an instant the only thing that would stand between the world and total destruction would be a group of human warriors with failing powers, but no lack of heart or skill.

Holding on to each other, the rangers prepared for the instant when the field would hit them. Their window of opportunity. A minute stretched into two painfully long hours as the ship stopped time around them and started its reign of tyranny. Their day of reckoning was at long last come.

"The window should happen any minute now..." Billy told them all over his com link, praying as much as everyone else that he could save his own world from the fate that had already claimed so many of their allied worlds.

Suddenly the sky went black, everything swirled for a moment. "Brace yourselves."

The teams fell back as several hundred soldiers in pitch black armor made their way down from the vessel.

Tommy manged to strike one down as he readied his weapon. His hand came back bloody from striking the armor. He grimaced and pulled back, a bright red steam running down his arm.

Jason looked over at his friend anxiously. "You okay?" he asked as he blocked a massive blow coming for his head.

Tommy groaned, his hand hurt like hell and he'd barely started the fight. Kimberly shrieked as two of the soldiers went for her full speed.

"No you don't," her husband said with ferocity as he leapt in front of her and took one of the soldier's off to the side. He head butted it full on, knocking it unconscious. He then pulled out a dagger and sliced clean across the joint between the head plate and the body.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Zack asked. "They've got serious attitude!"

Rocky groaned as he was sent flying through the air toward a towering metal statue. "I don't know and I don't care. I just want them dead and buried," he said in pain as he stood up. His back was aching worse than ever from the impact.

"Guys!" Tanya called, reaching out to keep one of the soldiers from clamping down on her neck. She was starting to get surrounded. "We need to get movin'!"

Trini freed her from the corner by sending a blast straight through the armor into the soldier's heart. "Our phasers seem to work on these guys."

Tommy pulled out his own and fired. The blood from his hand made holding the weapon difficult. Kimberly took out her own weapon. "Team one to base," she called. "Requesting data on quadrant epsilon."

"We're not picking up any life signs in the area," she received from one of the command stations.

"What do you mean you're not seeing any life signs?" Kimberly paused and looked at her wrist. She was getting the GPS data, but there was no one in the vicinity other than her teammates. "Where the hell are the people we're trying to save?"

"There's not one civilian in the whole city, not a soul," Kat realized, coming up next to her. "They're in a different time."

* * *

Aisha grabbed Adam's arm. "Come on," she cried. "Don't give up."

He clutched his chest and nodded. She bent down in a crane stance and forced a forward ridgehand into the neck of one of their assailants. The two of them had been cornered and attacked, forced away from the group.

Adam was bleeding so heavily now that he could barely stand. He clutched his chest where he'd taken the knife blade slice for her.

"Come on," Aisha told him, supporting him.

"How much further to the rendezvous?" he asked, feeling the lightheadedness starting to spread.

"I'll let you know," she told him, reaching over to grab a fallen pipe in case they were attacked again.

"Do you remember that time we won the Ninja tournament?"

"Adam, why are you talking like this?" she asked.

"Answer me...Aisha."

"Yeah, I remember."

"You were the strongest one there, even then."

"Stop it, I'm going to get you back."

"I don't remember how, but I knew this would happen someday. I knew I'd never see her again."

Aisha stopped and let him rest his head on her shoulder. "I'm gonna get you back to Tanya."

He smiled up at her. "You never could give up."

"It's not that bad, Adam. I'm sure with some cleaning up and some rest you'll be fine."

"I can't feel my feet."

"Adam!" she knew there wasn't a chance that she could hold any more of his weight. As a small woman, she could only do so much.

"Leave me behind, Aisha. Save yourself. If they come back, I can fend them off for a while."

"I am not going to leave you behind."

"Please," he begged her. "Don't put your life on the line for me."

"We're going to get out of here together."

"Aisha,"

"I mean it Adam, fight with me."

She knelt down next to him and put her hand under his chin. "Don't you dare stop now."

He looked up blankly. "I feel like I'm going to die, Aisha."

"You are not going to die. I'm going to get you out of here. You are going to be fine."

She ripped off part of his shirt. She could tell that he had lost a lot of blood already, but actually seeing the slash was enough to make her stomach turn. "I don't think it's too deep."

"It feels like a paper cut, you know how they sting?."

She knew he had to be in excruciating pain. "We're almost there, Adam, just hang on. Once we make rendezvous, we'll stitch you up and you'll be fine."

Adam nodded and let her help him to stand.

Between the two of them they left a trail of blood behind them, but they would make it one way or another.

* * *

"Fan out!" Cole cried, trying to keep three men from attacking him all at once. He caught the first one with a front snap kick to the groin; the second he hammered with a roundhouse; the third made it to his shoulder before he slammed him face first into the ground with a well balanced throw.

Alyssa nodded and ran off to help Taylor and Eric.

Danny and Max made their ways to opposite ends of the courtyard, aiming kicks, punches, and bullets at anything they knew could be remotely hostile. Max couldn't bear to look at his friend, not now, maybe never again the same way. It was better if they split up, keep their heads in the game.

Merrick covered Cole's back, using his stunner to shoot down as many as he could, and attacking those he couldn't with neck thrusts born out of his devastating blocks. The wolf spirit inside him took control- all the power he'd held inside from Zen Aku's possession was making him a fierce opponent.

"Need some help?" Alyssa called, making her way across the courtyard and to Taylor's side, as she approached the fountain behind her exploded in a mass of water and stone.

"What I need is a miracle!" Taylor replied, reloading her gun and aiming toward another of the soldiers attacking them ferociously.

"I'm fresh out!" Alyssa replied, trying her best to stay focused.

"It's almost time to move out," Eric said, wiping a cut lip on his shirt sleeve. Just as he bent down to talk to them a piece of metal whizzed over his head and lodged deep in the tree behind him.

An enemy trooper rammed through her makeshift wall. Taylor stood up and rammed her foot into his stomach. As her body took in the impact, her gun slipped from her grip. She reached down to grab it a fraction of a second too late. The enemy had it aimed at her, his expression of delight masked behind dark armor.

The bullet shot straight at her at point blank range. Taylor fell to her knees as the bullet found its way into her flesh. She could not scream, she could not turn to defend herself.

Eric leapt forward, driving all his energy into the warrior, killing him instantly.

"Taylor," he groaned, falling to the ground, holding her in his arms.

She reached up and grabbed his shoulder, "Eric," she struggled to breathe.

Alyssa moved to intercept, her face still written in disbelief. She picked up Taylor's weapon and began to fire rapidly until the clip was empty.

"Is this...what...it feels like...to die." She had closed her eyes.

"Don't you die on me. Don't you die..." Eric pressed his hand to her wound trying to stop the bleeding. "Taylor!"

She tried in vain to smile at him as her body went limp.

* * *

Cassie covered Ashley using a broken dagger like sai. She could feel the cut on her forehead running blood down her cheek. It was getting harder to concentrate with the exhaustion she now felt. The assailant caught her off guard and knocked the dagger away, leaving her hands empty. She immediately flew into defense mode, catching his thrust to her neck with a spear hand/block combination. His strength was too much, however, and he sent her sprawling to the ground.

Carlos threw himself on top of her assailant, shoving him onto a piece of shrapnel.

Cassie was too stunned to stand.

Carlos came to her side. "Are you okay?" he asked her, putting his arm under her head to keep it from slamming against the concrete.

She nodded dumbly, feeling herself slipping out of the daze. She didn't want him to leave her. She wanted to stop fighting.

"Cassie?" he asked her again. "Do you have a concussion?"

She didn't know, and sat up, shaking off the dizziness. "I think I'll be all right for now, but I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"I know," he told her. She could tell he felt the same way. His arm was bandaged with a piece of his shirt and he had a distinct fatigue to his step. His face was worn and greasy.

"Where's TJ?" she tried to murmur.

"I don't know, I lost him." The mall was huge, and dark with the lack of electricity. The team had lost Andros and Zhane and Justin.

She swayed as she stood up. "We have to keep fighting."

Carlos nodded, helping her back into a fighting stance by letting her lean back-to-back against him.

Ashley trudged over, leaping gracefully over a fallen steel beam. "What just happened?" she asked, realizing that Cassie was staggering.

"I got knocked over," Cassie told her. "I'll be all right."

Ashley breathed heavily. "I don't think we can hold them much longer."

"Don't say that," Carlos protested. "We have to hold them."

"We need to regroup, start out fresh with larger numbers. We can't hold them like this."

Carlos knew she was right. "Where are Andros and Zhane?"

"I lost them a while back. Andros went off to find Justin, Zhane went to help Karone."

"I think we're on our own," Cassie commented. "How far to the rendezvous point?"

"At least a mile," Ashley told her.

"Can we make it?"

"If we fight like hell, maybe."

Cassie nodded. "How many stand between us and them?"

"At least thirty, if not more."

Carlos clenched his fist around her shoulder. "Ten to one odds isn't at all comforting."

"We don't have a choice."

"Are you sure?" Ashley asked, feeling the weight of what they were about to do bury her.

"Look, Ash, we don't have another option. This is it. We don't have a choice," Carlos told her.

She nodded. "Okay let's try."

"Right."

Cassie flexed her legs to get her muscles working again. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears. She began to run, feeling the pumping sensation create a sort of barrier between her and the broken word around her.

Ashley followed not far behind, tossing a piece of steel like a throwing star at the one barrier in their way. She had a grim look on her face, full of utmost determination. She didn't want to die. Not now. She had Andros to spend her life with. She wouldn't give up.

Carlos launched forward into an aerial front kick, taking out two of the assailants with backfists as they started to stumble from his kick. They kept running, not attempting to see if they had taken out their enemy.

It was too hard to breathe, let alone stop to check how many of them were following.

Cassie launched herself at one of the soldiers, grabbing his gun and mercilessly ripping it from his hand. She aimed and fired at point blank, letting the electrical current drop him like a rock.

She could feel sweat pouring off her in sheets. She was running out of energy quickly and surely.

It was then that she saw TJ up ahead. Ashley saw Andros, sitting on of of the piers, his back arched to give his backflip momentum. They both looked relatively unharmed.

"Guys!" Carlos called as they reached them.

TJ nodded in relief. "I'm so glad to see you guys. For a minute there, I'd thought we'd really lost you."

Cassie staggered forward, collapsing in his arms. "We almost didn't make it."

"You're hurt," he remarked, noticing the caked blood coating her forehead.

"Don't worry about me Teej."

"Where's Justin?" Andros asked, hugging Ashley as tight as he could.

"He went off to find Zhane. I haven't seen him since, but I think the building he ran into had already been cleared so he should be okay." Carlos collapsed against the pier.

"We'll have to go back for him later," Andros decided. "Hopefully we can meet up with Leo's team soon. It says they're about three miles northwest. If we run we might make it before nightfall."

"I don't think I can run any more," Cassie told him.

"I don't either," Ashley told her husband.

"We'll have to find some transportation, then."

"If we take a car they'll blow us to hell," TJ reminded him.

"We can at least try," Carlos argued. "If we stay here we'll be in the belly of the beast before we know it."

TJ agreed reluctantly. "We need to stock up on artillery to defend ourselves."

"Right, you two go find as many cartridges for this thing as you can find," Andros told TJ and Carlos. "I'll find some water and food for Ashley and Cassie."

* * *

Leo held out his hand to his brother. Mike took it with a fierce look that reminded Leo of the look he'd gotten every time they'd played tag as kids.

"You gonna hold on this time?" he asked.

"You gonna let me fall?"

Leo smiled. "I never could stop you."

Maya and Kendrix came up beside them. "I think I see Zhane, Karone, and Justin coming."

Leo nodded. "That's good. We're clear to go then."

Mike nodded. "You ready, little brother?"

Leo didn't respond. He turned and started running.

* * *

"I don't think I can hold it much longer," Syd told Sky over her comm. The signal was breaking up as the static clouds continued to build. "Bridge and I are surrounded, trying to hold position..."

"I'm coming, just hold position."

"Jack," Z whispered.

"Yeah, Z?"

"I'm going to get you home safe, I just wanted to confirm that in your mind."

"I'm not scared, Z. I know Ally will be okay." It was getting so cloudy it looked like it was snowing. Jack shivered, feeling colder than ever. He was leaning against one of the massive chunks of what used to be the wall in front of the government building, steadying his breathing and trying not to pass out from the pain in his ankle.

"You deserve to hold that baby, Jack. You deserve to see your son."

"I'm okay, Z. Don't worry about me. Just focus. Do your duty and I'll do mine. That's all that matters right now."

"How can you be so cold?" she asked. "Jack, you have a baby waiting for you at home. Don't you feel something?"

"If I don't do this right now, it doesn't matter. We won't have that world to go back to anyway."

"I just don't understand. You're not afraid to die are you, Jack?"

He looked over at her, she was holding the stunner to her shoulder. "Now is the time to believe in God if you ever are, Z."

She turned, noting that there was no sense of sarcasm in his voice.

"I'm glad you're here with me, Jack." Elizabeth turned to him. "You're giving me strength right now. You might not realize it, but you are." He reached out, grabbed her hand and squeezed gently.

Z felt herself split into pieces, three bodies to one mind. She forced two of herself to go out to fight and she let the other, the real her, stay by Jack's side for a while, listening to his breathing and feeling his skin against hers. She knew he would never be hers, but at least she knew that they still had a friendship that was unbreakable, and in their moment of reckoning they were together.

Bridge pushed back against the wall, feeling himself succumbing to hopelessness. "We can't get out of here, Syd."

She looked back at him. "Remember that time I stole your gloves and you got mad at me?" Syd asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I remember." He smiled over at her. "Good thing you gave them back."

"I wasn't trying to upset you, I hope you know that."

"I've always known that, Syd." He pulled out his phaser and prepared to rush the next group coming around the corner. "I've always known."

* * *

It was hard not to feel like death would be easier. Wes would not deny that it would be a simple action to grab Jen's arm, kiss her once more time, and then blow away in the winds of oblivion. But he knew there was so much more to life. He had to save the people of Earth from an evil they weren't ready to face. He had to fight so that others would live.

"Wes," Jen called, throwing him a weapon. He caught it with his outstretched hand. He brought it down in a crescent arc down on the armor of the man attacking him.

Lucas breezed by on a motorcycle he'd stolen from a nearby lot. He hit Wes's attacker with the back wheel sending him spinning head-over-heels into a nearby building. He looked back and nodded to Wes diligently before driving off, shooting at each target that he could find.

Trip followed him using a Xybrian fighting staff that shocked whoever was touched by the tip. He caught someone just beneath the arm and hiked them up enough to perform a decent fireman's throw that caused an awful crack when the body hit the ground.

Katie was performing a well-executed hip throw on one of her victims who was going at her with a steel rod. She was breathing harder than usual, and everyone around her could see that she was weakening from the stress of fighting so long. Her hair no longer had its signature bounce, and her step was long and pronounced.

Lucas came back to cover her as she took a quick sip of water. She almost fell over as she tried to squeeze the bottle.

"Katie?" he yelled.

She looked over at him with dark eyes. "I'll be fine. Let's just get this bitch over with."

He gave her a hand and she flung over the seat behind him catching another one of their enemies over the head with a somersault kick to the chin. She brought her foot back with a knee reap before climbing onto the bike behind Lucas. A bruise was already forming on her forearm where she'd caught the brunt of a blow that was meant for her throat. Lucas wasn't faring much better, he had a cut dripping blood down his shoulder.

Trip back flipped just in time to miss a rogue shot fired at Wes by someone on top of a nearby building. He caught a piece of rubble as he landed, wrenching his ankle just enough to cause him to scream in pain.

"Die Xybrian!" was the monotonous call of one of the warriors that had once been a humanoid from one of the conquered worlds.

"No, you die!" he yelled back, tapping into the adrenaline and ramming the staff head first into his heart.

Jen noted Trip's scream and began a downhill sprint to his side. "Trip!" she called, shooting over his head.

He looked back at Jen wearily. "I'm losing steam," he admitted. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Jen felt exactly the same way, and she put a hand on Trip's shoulder briefly to show her consent. She found herself longing for one of the many battles against Ransik's goons where they'd been getting their butts kicked while morphed instead.

"Son of a..." Katie exclaimed as a large piece of the Angel Grove Bank collapsed onto the street in front of them as if it had been a piece of Styrofoam.

Lucas swerved just in time to miss it. "How long till rendezvous?" he asked her.

She looked down at her wrist quickly. "Twenty five minutes."

"Dammit," Lucas exclaimed, not holding out much hope that they would last that long. "This thing's running out of gas."

Katie squeezed his shoulders. "We'll make it Lucas."

He stopped the bike and they dismounted just in time as another blast blew the whole Ducati bike to shreds.

Jen, Wes, Trip, Katie, and Lucas stood there in the middle of the street waiting for the clock to strike. They knew that was only the beginning of the fight.

* * *

Blake had never considered himself lucky in the lotto sense of the word, but as a five ton beam crashed just inches from him, he realized someone was definitely looking out for him.

Hunter looked over at him with wide eyes. He had been sure that Blake had been killed.

Blake gave a thumbs up to his brother and launched at another of the warriors that was threatening to take out the Angel Grove Farmer's Market with a RPG.

Tori sent a blast of water toward Blake to cover his tracks. She was rapidly tiring from using her powers so often. Already she could see the effects beginning to wane. She took off at a run to vault off a car over the heads of several of the warriors. The momentum sent her higher into the air than was probably safe for a landing. For a moment she panicked. Just then she was relieved to note that Shane had arrived and was preparing to catch her as she fell.

She hit him like a sack of potatoes, but his strong build managed to hold her without collapsing. "Nicely done," he told her, checking out the mass of limp forms in front of them.

She smiled. "I'm actually amazed that worked," she confided.

Dustin breezed by with a series of roundhouse kicks that left them both spinning.

"Ten minutes till crunch time!" he called, whooping as loudly as he could to pierce the droning.

Cam followed close behind him with his Samurai katana whirring elegantly, catching each opponent in all the correct places to cause the most damage. Tori was extremely impressed with Cam's skill.

"Going up again?" Shane asked Tori.

She nodded, letting him give her a leg up onto his shoulders. she stood there focusing on creating another torrent. Shane's eyes became a mass of fire for a moment and the fire and water mixed creating a blinding light.

Hunter and Blake met Dustin and Cam in front of a toppled fruit cart and managed to create a gauntlet that involved several moves combined between the four of them.

"Okay guys," Shane called, checking his watch. The little red light was flickering. "Time to make a run for it."

* * *

Conner was wishing he'd done something besides play soccer the last few years. Sure it had left him in peak physical condition which helped, but his Tae Kwon Do was all muddled. He kept seeing the enemy as little black and white balls that he could kick at an invisible goal, which was bad because they were kicking back.

"Conner!" Kira yelled as he almost missed another block. "WTF?"

He looked back at her. "I'm a little preoccupied," he yelled back.

"Now is not the time, man!" Ethan reprimanded. "Now kick their asses before they kick yours!"

Conner nodded and went back to his furious hacking. This time he kept seeing Krista being dragged off in the corner of his vision which made things worse. He closed his eyes and begged himself to focus on saving his own life. He kicked out and sent the nearest villain flying back at least five hundred feet.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Trent yelled. "Tell them who's boss, man!"

Kira shrugged a large alien warrior off her by ducking as he went in for an attack. He flew past her right into Trent's punch.

Her fiancé smiled. "Now that's teamwork."

Ethan did a vertical wall run and popped up behind another to take it out stealthily. "Time of destruction, Whatever the hell time it is: Pacific."

Conner nodded. He was glad it was time to start heading toward the center of town for the morpher detonation. He was about ready to lose his mind. He wished he could morph. It would have made it a lot easier to focus.

"Are you okay, Conner?" Trent asked as he came close enough to carry on a conversation.

"I'm not really sure."

"What's wrong?"

Conner couldn't really explain how he felt. He had a tingling sensation all over like he was going to explode. He felt extreme hypertension.

"Is it you, or something else?"

"Um...I think something freaky is happening actually. I literally _can't _focus."

"This is sort of important, Conner."

"Yeah, I get that, Trent." He closed his eyes again. He was now starting to get a migraine. The ground was starting to spin under his feet. "What the hell is happening to me?" he whispered almost inaudibly.

Trent noted his sudden tremble. "Man, you don't look so good."

Ethan had managed to fight his way toward the two other guys. Kira quickly followed.

"Conner?" Kira said with concern.

He looked up at her. His eyes were misted with tears of pain. "My head is splitting." He felt his knees give out.

Ethan's eyes went so wide Trent was surprised to see them remain socketed.

"Conner!"

He was on his knees, holding his head like it was on fire.

_Destroy them! _he heard a voice in his head screaming. _End this!_

"I can't," he started. "I can't breathe."

Kira knelt beside him, trusting that Trent and Ethan could hold them for a moment. "Come on, Conner."

"Come on, man!" Ethan said with as much force as he could muster. "We need to get the hell out of here."

Conner opened his eyes and looked over at Kira. She touched his cheek with her hand. "What is it, Conner?"

"I can't breathe, Kira. My head feels like it's going to explode and I can't hear my own thoughts." He grimaced again.

"Can you walk?"

"No," he told her with utmost certainty.

_Kill them! Take them back to the beginning! I command you!_

"Get out of my head!" he screamed. He knew now what was happening. The leader of the enemies, the Unknown Force, was trying to get him to ruin their plans.

Kira backed away. "Who's in your head?"

"HIM!" Conner yelled. "GET OUT!"

The other three understood immediately. "Come on, Conner, you're stronger than him."

Conner could feel rage inside him making his blood boil. A question kept popping into his head. Why me? Why? Why? Why?

Ethan and Trent moved in closer. "What does he want?" Trent asked as he drove another snap kick.

"Control of everything." He shook his head. "He wants to go back to the beginning, whatever that means."

"NO!" Conner forced the thought as hard as he could. He could feel blood start to run from his nose.

Kira brushed the blood away with her fingers. "Conner, you're bleeding."

He could feel his head coming closer and closer to the breaking point. The normal human mind was not built to withstand this kind of rebellion.

His eyes snapped open.

He stood like a puppet on strings and threw his arms in an arc. Each and every soldier surrounding them collapsed under his power. "I will never do as you say," he said with finality. "You'll have to kill us all before we give in."

The clouds swirled in the sky above them.

Conner's hair covered his eyes making him look more dangerous than ever. "Let's go Rangers."

Kira, Trent, and Ethan followed in a daze. There would be room for questioning later. If they survived.

* * *

Come on stupid, Mack taunted. He was daring them to attack him. He knew exactly how to execute a move that would devastate them. One perk of the strength he'd retained from his android birth.

Dax was his decoy.

There was Rose, sneaking inside the circle where they were marching.

Will was getting in place, and so was Ronny.

"Are you ready, Ty?" Mack asked, realizing he wouldn't get an answer.

"Come and get me," Dax yelled at the top of his lungs. "I know you want me!"

A loud growl welcomed him as one of the warriors launched at him. Just as the sword was about to connect Tyzonn shifted form and sent him flying back like a marionette on broken strings.

Mack dived under his feet and knocked down at least four of them at one. Rose took the distraction and made her move. Will launched himself off the flagpole and Dax and Ronny raced back to the center of the fray.

"Good work!" Will cried out. "We doused those losers!"

Rose smiled, giving him a high five. She was trying to remain composed, trying not to think about who they were fighting. Their souls were gone, but they were still alive. She knew that a part of her would always carry that weight.

* * *

Nick turned his back for a moment, just a moment. In that split second he found himself flying headfirst at a piece of rebar.

It was only because of Madison that he managed to survive the impact. She stood in his way, causing him to crash into her. The impact slowed him down just enough to stop him from impaling them both on the outstretched metal.

She looked up at him as he landed on her. "Don't do that again," she made him promise.

He looked back down at her. "Thanks," he helped her stand and blocked a blow coming for them. Just as his upturned arm caught the arcing blow a spell burst forth and cooked the warrior like a piece of meat in a barbecue. "Good timing."

Chip looked over to see Vida and Xander teaming up against six or seven armed troops. "Guys!" he called to Nick and Madison. "We need some help over here!"

Nick looked over at Vida, the young woman was standing about as close to the brink of death as you could get without reaching out and grabbing it.

That was all it took, one look at her and he flew into a rage- the sort of rage that was of a last resort- best used only when your friend was about to die. The blood magic inside him unleashed in a fury. Madison barely had enough time to duck before he sent a massive ball of fire at the group of warriors, turning them all to ash. His eyes still glowed a sanguine crimson when he turned back to her.

"Nick?" she asked, shirking away from him in fear. "Nick, what was that?"

He closed his eyes and focused back on her. "That is my Light," he told her with cold determination.

* * *

Carter groaned as a massive chunk of rock smashed into him, knocking the breath right out of his chest and cracking a few ribs. Dana collapsed in a heap next to him. "Carter!" she cried, hearing the break and quickly flying into the role as his doctor.

"I'm okay," he told her as she crawled to his side.

She didn't seem to believe him. She touched his chest and he groaned in pain. "If that's okay," she started.

"I'm okay, Dana. I promise." He took her hand and let her help him to his feet.

"We need to get that wrapped," she told him angrily as he stood up and started back toward the fight. Chad and Joel were working hard to keep several of the warriors from severing the cables connecting the massive movie theater sign from its hinges.

"I'm fine, sweetheart, stop worrying about me!"

"What I wouldn't give to have you all be allergic to Earth," Kelsey said with bravado as she plunged one of the warriors head first into a shorted out electrical box. "That would be totally awesome right now."

Ryan smiled back. "Maybe if you make a wish!" he shouted over the loud droning of the fighting.

"We've survived this long," she shouted. "It's still possible."

"Now would definitely be a good time," Ryan replied before diving back into the melee.

* * *

"I don't think this is the best time for doubts," RJ told Casey as he tapped into his Pai Zhuq powers and flung a massive storm of black smoke in front of them. The magics lingered just long enough for him to turn to her and allow a moment's peace.

"I've always followed you on instinct, RJ, this time I can't." Casey looked over at RJ pleadingly. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself for us."

"You and I both know that Zordon doesn't have enough power left," he said while taking another step back and letting fly another of his devastating blows.

"But it doesn't have to be you. Not you. You're my brother, my friend."

"And who would you sacrifice instead, Casey?" his eyes glowed a fierce purple as he turned back toward his student and friend.

Casey couldn't answer that question. "I don't know."

He looked over at Lily and Theo and Dominic. They were there with him, his family, and he was not going to let any of them die that day.

"You still have so much to learn," RJ told him fiercely, "about love and sacrifice."

Casey's stomach turned. He couldn't change RJ's mind. That much was clear. All he could do was hope to the spirits that they could find another way.

* * *

"My children are out there, Angela," William Mitchell said defeatedly. "All my life I've tried to keep them safe but I always fail."

"You haven't failed them," she told him quietly. "They're strong. If anyone makes it back it will be them." She turned and looked over at her daughter, sitting on the floor next to her. She wouldn't give up hope that Joel would be coming back to them.

"I always told Ryan 'I won't let you fall.' I let him fall, Angela. He's out there fighting and I'm sitting here on my hands waiting. And Dana, she's never..."

"Bill," she said, taking his hand. "They're coming back."

* * *

Aysinia Cruger sat watching the stars, her back leaning against the hard metal armor protecting her husband's chest. For years she'd been in Gruum's prison, tormented by the thought of never seeing him again. Now she faced the same heart-wrenching pain of watching him fade away into the distance- and this time it would be her that took him for dead and was forced to move on.

"I have to do this," he told her quietly. "You know that as much as I do."

"But why, Doggie? Why do you have to go?"

"I'll see you again soon, in the stars glowing above Sirius," he told her fondly. "The Power will always protect me."

She didn't believe him. She didn't have enough faith. The sky above New Tech City had gone pitch black. It was as if the world was being swallowed up by the night.

"What happened that day?" she asked him quietly. "What really happened?"

He suppressed a sigh. "The Earth stood still," was all he told her. "The world stood still and planets all around the known universe were snuffed out like candles in the wind. History did well to erase such a horrible day from its books."

"And?"

"And we made a terrible mistake." He moved away from her, staring out into the pitch black sky. He handed her his portable database, the mini super-computer holding all the information from all the records of human existence from the dawn of writing.

Aysinia looked over at him from the screen. The tiny dome flickering as a beacon against the desert. "What is it, Doggie?"

"They said it would be the last city on Earth." He turned back to her. "In 146 BC the prosperous Greek city-state of Corinth was destroyed by the Roman Empire. The whole city was obliterated. The name was later used for a project being conducted in California's Death Valley. Corinth, as the new city was called, was enveloped in a dome, a city meant to withstand a nuclear war or an alien invasion. The project was based on the design first created for Terra Venture, one of Earth's first space endeavors. When the Dark Day came, the city disappeared. The whole thing went up in a cloud of sand. The inhabitants were never seen again. It is my belief that the city was taken outside time- that those people are still alive, Aysinia. I need you to continue my work. I need you to find the domed city of Corinth and return it to it's resting place in time. Do this for me. Promise."

"Anubis!" he had already morphed, the Shadow Ranger stared back at her.

"I love you, Aysinia."

Before she could reply, he was gone.


	11. Chapter 11: Detonation

Detonation

The sky became a fiery maelstrom so vibrant and full of crackling energy that it seemed to reach out and touch the huddled warriors like snake tongues, rough and full of hatred for their hopeless attempt to thwart the new master. Canopies of ash and smoke blotted out all signs of the azure sky leaving the creatures of Earth quaking in fear. It was the end of days, and each and every living soul knew that their fate depended on a miracle, one that was hanging in the balance as each second ticked away.

A strike ignited the nearest building leaving a trail of blackened metal and melted plastic in it's wake. Angel Grove was burning, being razed to the ground in an inferno. The Rangers knew that with their final act, they would pave the way for even more destruction amongst it's bloody and broken streets. To save the rest of the world, their home, the place where it all began would take the final blow.

Jason Lee Scott reached the plaza courtyard first, clutching his hand to his chest, feeling his heart beating much faster than he knew was safe, or in fact, ordinary. The power was flowing through him like a mass of tiny bombs, flickering and exploding in his veins. Emily called to him within his mind, her soothing voice and her vibrant smile a beacon lighting the dark and apocalyptic world surrounding him.

Kimberly stepped onto the mosaic next, her breath fleeting and labored. She could feel bile rising in her throat as she gasped and begged the gods to keep her from throwing up what she knew would most likely be more than just the contents of her stomach. She brushed away a blood-caked strand of hair and moved the tiny intercom piece in her ear closer to her chin. With one last deep breath to steady herself, she grabbed Tommy's hand.

Tommy moved next to her, standing like he was going to burst into flames, he cast a knowing glance at Jason, a mute acknowledgement that he too felt the power burrowing through him at an surmountable speed and vengeance.

Zack stumbled forward and righted himself next to Jason, feeling his ankle throbbing in protest and yearning for rest. The tendon was twisted, he could feel the pain shooting up his entire body in a sick pattern that was only made worse by his adrenaline. He saw Angela's face in the back of his mind and reminded himself that if he quit now she would die, and his sons would die in a world where no love existed to save them.

Billy came next, feeling the weight of the power within him, an unfamiliar and exhilarating throbbing sensation. He held out his hand and let the wind brush his fingers free of the ash that had become clumped inside his palm. He blinked and accepted his surroundings with surprising braveness. Cestria was waiting for him, and now he felt that whatever came next he would face without remorse.

Trini stepped forward and accepted the strange feeling that pulsed stronger with each step. She could feel magic in the air of the darkest kind, the static force that made her hair stand on end and her body rebel. Richie depended on her, to save him and to save his son, Antonio. Without her, they would perish and the world would fall.

Rocky and Aisha joined next, together holding off the weight of the wind and the pulsing power within them through sheer strength of will. Aisha called forth the power that she'd learned to harness in Africa, the power of nature to shield them from harm as they made a final stretch toward destiny. Rocky clutched her hand firmly, trying not to lose sight of the endgame. They'd been chosen for this since the day they'd been born and there was nothing in the universe that would stop them.

Holding out their hands together, they welcomed Kat and Adam. Kat accepted Tommy's hand and felt the burden that she was being pressed into the ground under thousands of pounds. She winced with pain and clenched her teeth, struggling to hold composure.

Adam made the final step and the circle was complete. He held on to Zack's outstretched hand and struggled to stand firmly. The blood flow had stopped by now and now all he felt was the overwhelming desire for finality. "Let's do this, Rangers," he urged with all the power he could muster.

Watching them with fear and hope, the other Power Rangers stood with bated breath as Jason and Rocky stepped forward for the start of their final battle.

Jason and Rocky took each other's hands, two men joined by fate to share the greatest burden. "Ready?" Jason asked the other man quietly. Rocky nodded and closed his eyes. "We call upon the power of the Tyrannosaurus !" they called together. Suddenly a vibrant streak of red appeared from the sky and struck them both in the chests. Their eyes flashed red and then with a final act, the powers left them creating a weak vortex at their feet.

Jason backed away quietly and Rocky regained Aisha's hand.

Aisha and Trini broke away and joined in the center. "Power of the Sabertooth Tiger!" A similar flash of brilliant yellow energy flowed through them and joined the swirling vortex.

"Power of the Mastodon!" Zack and Adam intoned, falling back as their powers also strengthened the vortex swirling before them.

"Power of the Pterodactyl!" Kimberly called.

"Triceratops!" Billy called after her, feeling the lingering presence of the great beast nod and accept the swirling vortex.

"Green Dragon White Tiger Power!" Tommy yelled with as much voice as he could find.

"Ape Ninja Power," Rocky started. "Frog Ninja Power," Adam continued. "Bear Ninja Power," Aisha followed. "Crane Ninja Power," Kimberly said with ferocity as Kat joined her. "Wolf Ninja Power," replied Billy. Tommy glanced warily at the vortex, "Falcon Ninja Power!"

The circle began to pulse as the vortex grew with the next gift of powers.

It was then that Zack, Trini, Billy, and Kimberly moved out of the circle and the next ranger joined the group. Tanya took Adam's hand and squeezed softly. She smiled at him and prepared herself for a changed world.

Tommy stepped forward with his remaining teammates. "Okay, you guys ready for one last Zeo memory?"

"Zeo ranger I Pink! Zeo Ranger II Yellow! Zeo Ranger III Blue! Zeo Ranger IV Green! Zeo Ranger V Red! Zeo Ranger VI Gold!"

Jason smiled over at Tommy and the others. "It's been amazing guys." He could feel the last little bit of power leaving him. The flicker of gold passed through him and he joined Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Billy. Rocky followed, feeling like a part of him had vanished and left something else in its stead.

Kat held out her hand for Cassie, and she stepped into the circle with Ashley, Carlos, Justin, and TJ.

"Okay, guys, let's do this," TJ took Tommy's hand. "Turbo, power up!"

Streaks of red, pink, green, blue, and yellow erupted from them and coursed as expected into the vortex. The colors flickered over the skin of the bearers like glowing rain.

Ashley accepted Andros as he came to stand beside her. Zhane stood beside Cassie in firm determination. A flash of silver entered the realm of the vortex along with a rainbow.

"Come on guys," Andros called, shaking hands with Leo. "It's too late to go back now."

Kai and Damon approached the circle and took places, followed immediately by Maya and Mike. Next came Kendrix and Karone, each feeling the finality of the moment.

"Glactabeasts, may you always light our ways," Maya whispered, feeling the power leave her. The yellow sparks flowed down her fingers and into the magic void that was growing before her.

Carter, Joel, Chad, Kelsey, Dana, and Ryan joined next fortifying the power growing. The darkness in the space around them had receded just slightly and a cloud was visible above where the pillar of light was emanating from the power well.

Wes took Carter's arm as he stepped forward. "Good job," he said quietly.

A matrix of colors erupted from the bodies of the Time Force rangers. Katie felt the weight lift and knew that she would never see her home in the future again. This was utterly final. Trip squeezed her hand harder as the Xybrian bid farewell to his family. Lucas and Eric cast glances at each other, the Quantum ranger at last understanding the hidden words locked away behind Blue's cold stare.

Cole walked forward with Taylor in his arms, her eyes closed. Alyssa and Merrick followed with apprehension, unsure if their powers had the ability to change her fate, or if it would work at all. Danny and Max brought a solemn closure to the form. "We ask you great spirits to grant us this last request. Save her.."

Alyssa touched Taylor's cheek. "Come on," she begged.

"Lion, tiger, shark, bull..."

The flickers of light emitted were enough to temporarily blind those looking at them.

"Taylor?" Danny asked, "we need you."

_Open your eyes.._

She stirred in Cole's arms, feeling the throbbing pain of the bullet wound. "Take my powers..." she whispered faintly.

A bolt of yellow cascaded from her and into the pool of light.

Merrick heard Shayla's voice. The clamor of the world around him was suddenly a muted bliss. If he believed in angels, there was one hovering above him now with a voice that no goddess could claim. The brush of her kiss was enough to cause an immediate sense of euphoria. When he opened his eyes there was no call of the wolf in his ears, no lingering burden of a life lost to darkness.

"Just let go..."

"Ninja Storm!" Tori, Shane, and Dustin called. "Thunder Storm!" followed Hunter and Blake. "Let's finish this!" exalted Cam.

"This is it guys," Tommy called to his former students. "Ready?"

"Dino Thunder!" Conner yelled, casting an echo over the battlefield. The feeling of the power flowing through him was enough to make him shake uncontrollably in his weakened state. He felt his nose begin to bleed again as he squeezed Kira's hand.

The feeling of intense tension left their bodies as quickly as it came, the five colors correlating into a brilliant strand that cast itself into the spiraling power well.

Tommy looked over at the other Rangers and felt himself collapsing inward. It was heartbreaking to feel so much of his life melt away. The connection to the morphing grid that he had held onto since his time as a young high school freshman was gone and had left only the faintest trace of its presence. The comfort of Kimberly's hand on his back was the only thing that kept him from feeling totally numb. The world was ending and he was losing himself to save it.

"Watch out!" he heard someone yell from across the green. "We have company," blared through the Ranger's communication devices.

Sky and Jack stepped forward with Syd, Z, and Bridge. "Sky Tate to Anubis Cruger, do you read. Commencing detonation of SPD B squad morphers."

Their backs arched, the SPD Rangers began to feel their powers strip away. Z clutched tightly to Syd's hand and trusted wholly that what made them strongest was not the enhancements they had once commanded, but the power within.

"Time to add a little Power Rangers magic," Nick whooped as he and his team entered the circle around the swirling power well. Xander, Chip, Vida, &Madison nodded and felt the power lift them slowly off their feet for a brief second when time stood still.

"Operation Overdrive," Mack started, "let's do this."

Will could suddenly feel the surge of power running through his body and into the void and the quick jolt as at last it left him completely. Rose blinked as she realized that she would never morph again. Ronny shook out her hair and felt the electric buzz of the field, she felt like an overcooked hot dog. Dax looked more wired than usual with a horrid blue tinge raced down his face. Tyzonn resisted the urge to completely melt down as the electricity ran course through his quicksilver blood.

"Let's finish up," Casey called to the Jungle Fury team.

Lily and Theo nodded. RJ and Dom stepped up the plate without a response.

As they stepped away, RJ stayed rooted. He stared over at Casey and nodded.

Casey closed his eyes.

"Zordon..."

"It's not your time..." Anubis Cruger said, stepping out of the shadows and running toward the maelstrom.

Sky looked wide eyed as his commanding officer cleared the final feet between him and his destiny.

Just as he was reaching out to touch the swirling cloud, a figure in black stopped him.

"Neither is it yours." Gavriel turned toward Cassie, gave her one last glance, a final goodbye, and stepped into the void.

The amazing light that followed as the last team surrendered their connection to the morphing grid was enough to blast the surrounding enemy soldiers to atomic particles invisible to the human eye. The power well began to expand at a rate that even Billy could scarcely fathom. Each of the Rangers fell to his or her knees under the wave's massive power. Catching their breath, they rose to greet a new city, devastated but empty of the bloodthirsty tyrants that had come to destroy so much more than just a small California suburb.

Reaching skyward, Karone caught one of the thousands of tiny flakes of magic floating down over them as they waiting out the storm. "Zhane," she whispered, taking his hand and closing it over the remnant of their powers. He smiled down at her.

It was as if the sky raining down on them, telling them to accept the change to come. Life for all of them would never be the same. What had begun in the year 1993 was now ended, and yet promise that rangers would come again to Earth lived on in the faces that now stood amongst the veterans. Schuyler Tate, strong and able, gave them assurance that SPD continued the legacy of the Power Rangers, and that it would do so for many years to come. Time Force, born in a changed future nearly a thousand years , promised that out of the ashes of SPD a new order would arise.

When the mystical energy at last evaporated, they were left standing in a world that was not their own, it was mangled and torn apart. It was their greatest sacrifice. The screams of the dying pierced their temporary calm and bodies lay broken on the charred ground. The people of Angel Grove returned to normal time as a brilliant flash of white light signaled the destruction of the ship.

"Oh my God," Dustin whispered, feeling the true weight of their decision for the first time.

Hunter reached out and grabbed his shoulder, to steady himself and provide comfort.

"Simply put," Zack started, "this is the biggest f'up of our lives."

"We didn't have a choice," Tommy told him quietly. "As hard as it may be, these people had to die so that others could live. We made the right choice. Everyone else in the world will wake up safe tomorrow because of this."

"Does it make this right?" Kelsey asked defiantly. "We should have died instead."

"And that would have proved what?" Ryan replied. "Who would have saved the world then?"

"Someone," Lily said wistfully. "All our power and this was the best we could do."

"How many billions of lives did we just save?" Eric called out angrily. "Isn't that enough to make you guys realize that we did good today?" he looked down at Taylor's limp body lying in his arms. "Don't any of you dare start feeling sorry for yourselves."

"There are people out there now who need our help," Damon added. "We might not have our powers anymore, but when has that ever stopped us from following our hearts and doing our duty?"

"He's right," Alyssa replied holding Taylor's hand. "There are people in Angel Grove who still need us. We have to keep fighting until every person who can be saved has been."

"We have a sworn duty to protect these people to the best of our ability," RJ called. "If we give up now there will never be redemption for us."

"Let's go Rangers," Shane called. "Split up and scour the city for survivors. We can meet up here again later."

"Right," Jason answered, taking charge again. "Let's go people."

Wes took Eric's arm and accepted Dana's decision to stay with them until they found a place with medical supplies where she could work. Carter hugged her briefly before taking off with Chad. The unspoken words between them carried knowledge that the danger was not yet over.

Moving with a new sense of invigoration, the teams spread out over Angel Grove to search for survivors of the massive attack.

A moan from under a steel girder brought Rocky running toward an elderly man. "It's okay," he promised. "I'm going to get you out of there." He brought Jason to his side and between them they heaved, of their own will to save a life, and succeeded. "Come on, man," he told the victim, "Everything is going to be all right."

Shaken but safe, the man wobbled to his feet and wandered off to grab his dog who stood near the warped steel, his tail wagging.

"There's someone over here!" Aisha called, looking under a concrete slab that had fallen against a wall creating a tiny bubble of safety. Tommy and Billy rushed to her side helping her move chunks of rubble out of the path of the young woman inside. She had survived the attack unscathed by sheer luck.

It was she who had to stop and ask Aisha if she was all right, the blood from Adam's wound having started to drip over her jeans.

"I'm going to check this building," Trini told Kimberly as she moved toward a large hole in what had once been the door of a functioning credit union.

"Wait just a minute," Kim told her anxiously. "Just let me catch my breath a bit."

"Are you okay?"Trini asked her quietly, realizing not for the first time that Kimberly's energy level was below normal. "You've been acting kind of weird these last couple of days, not very much like the Kim I know."

Kimberly faked a smile. "Hey, don't worry about me, I'm fine." She stood up and moved over to Trini's side, taking her hand. "Let's go."

Trini narrowed her eyes. "If you're sure..."

"Fine," Kimberly promised her.

The inside of the credit union was decimated. What had once been teller booths was now a pile of splintered wood and broken light bulbs. "I don't think anyone is alive in here," Trini started.

"Do you smell that?" Kimberly asked, sniffing the air that she knew was coated with propane.

"Smell what?" Trini asked, feeling her eyes start to water.

Kimberly realized that she had seasonal allergies and her nose was likely out of commission. "Gas," she told her.

The smell had permeated the entire building.

A loud cough from the door behind them sent the women straight into the most dangerous part of the building. Neither of them noticed the tiny spark igniting in the main hall as they rushed to find the child trapped inside.

"I just don't feel like I can go yet," Damon told Kai as they worked. "I keep feeling like we owe these people to stay."

"If we don't go back Mirinoi will never be able to rebuild itself. This is important."

"We've been working on that base for years now and we hardly ever get to come home. It just feels right, you know, like a piece of cake you find in the back of the refrigerator."

Kai smiled, "Yeah, I know. I miss my family too. I wish I could tell them what I've been doing all these years. I wish they could be a part of my life. A part of me wishes that Terra Venture had never happened, but it did and we were a vital piece of something extraordinary."

Damon thought back to the moment he'd first stepped onto the decks of the massive city-ship and seen what the world had been hiding. The few lucky people who had gotten a chance to know it existed had also been the ones unlucky enough to see its fall. "She was definitely a piece of the future. I still don't believe it."

"I wonder if we'll see something like her again," Kai said thoughtfully, "In a commercial capacity."

"In a non-blow-up-things way?" Damon tossed away a brick.

Kai nodded.

"What are you guys talking so seriously about?" Mike asked, bringing over a bottle of water for each of them he'd taken from a broken vending machine.

"There are absolutely no limits to what the military can accomplish."

He smiled. "Yeah, they can make Leo a man."

He turned and looked over to his brother, who was carrying a little girl toward Kendrix.

"No, I mean the things we've done in the past decade alone. It's so unreal what we've seen and what we've done."

It was an experience that, through the good and bad, was something they wouldn't ever forget.


	12. Chapter 12: Sabertooth Sacrifice

Sabertooth Sacrifice

"Where are they?" Zack asked Kat as they approached the outside of the credit union. "I told them we'd be here to meet them in ten minutes. Trini promised she'd make it back."

"Zack," Kat whispered staring into the blackened hole of a door in front of them. "That building is on fire."

"What?" he asked, turning around and staring inside. "Holy..."

"Come on, sweetie," Trini told the little boy, holding out her hand. "Let's get you out of here."

"Trini," Kim called from the entrance to the bank vault. "The lobby is burning."

The little boy screamed as a tiny explosion rocked the building to its foundation. Tiny coughs pierced the droning of the dying building.

"Trini, get the hell out of there!" Kimberly screamed. "The building is coming down!"

Trini looked back her way and shook her head. "I won't leave him." The Asian woman grabbed the little boy's hand and promised not to let go. Unable to lift him, she knew her only option would be to calm him down.

"My sister!" he called, pointing further back, toward the stacks of money that had fallen over.

"Go with Kimberly," Trini told him. "I'll get her."

"Trini, she's dead, don't go back there." Kimberly tried to stop her friend any way she knew how.

"I have to," she said with steely resolve, unfazed by Kimberly's attempts.

Kimberly stared back at her with a tear rising in her eye. "Please don't make me leave you."

Trini turned and ran. "I'll be right behind you."

Kimberly took the boy's hand and burst through the lobby past the fire and into Kat's outstretched arms.

"Get her out of there, Zack," she choked, feeling her lungs burning. "Trini's in the vault."

Trini turned toward the limp body of the little girl. "No, please wake up," she cried, feeling no pulse. A second explosion rocked the bank and the back vault door slammed shut with a terrifying howl that went straight through her. The vault was sepulchrally quiet.

Zack jumped through the flames and found the vault door. "Trini!" he screamed, searching for a way to blast the door open.

"Zack?" she asked in panic. The concrete megalith moaned like a monster growling in pain. It shivered like a cold shriveled body pulled too thin. The melted metal trapped her in its cruel embrace blocking her only chance of escape.

Zack jumped back as the metal scalded his palm.

Jason emerged outside with Carter and a tiny hose. The two of them set up outside the bank, ready to douse the fire.

"Gas fire," Tommy warned.

Carter nodded as Zack exited the building sputtering and choking back tears. "My God, please..."

Carter moved forward into the burning building and began to hack on the door with Jason at his side. "Hold on honey, we're coming," Jason called to her.

"Jason?" she called, weakening as the fire around them absorbed what little oxygen she had to breathe. "Jason, I can't breathe."

Carter struggled against the flame heated door. "It's titanium enforced, we're not going to hack through this. We need a cutting torch."

"What about one of our blasters?" Jason asked, realizing he was still holding on to his weapon.

Carter nodded. "That will just have to do."

"Trini?" Zack called, still standing beside the door, feeling helpless.

There was no response.

"Zack, get out of here," Jason ordered. "You have kids, please get out of here."

Zack looked back at Jason. He nodded quietly and stood up, paving a way through the debris with a fire extinguisher he'd ripped from the wall, further scalding his hands.

Dana rushed to his side immediately and began to wrap his palms.

"She's dead, isn't she?" he muttered, holding his breath, trying not to breathe because it was too hard.

Billy ran over and took Zack's shoulder, he'd just arrived from helping out elsewhere. His gaze traveled the length of his friend's hunched-over form. "What happened?"

"Trini's trapped in the bank vault," Tommy told him quietly. "Carter and Jason are trying to get her out."

Billy froze up, like he'd just turned off the switch to his brain.

Kimberly wrapped her arms around him and helped him sit down. "I tried to stop her, Billy, I tried..." she started to sob.

Carter finished prizing the door open, the jumbled mass of melted metal. "We've got a pulse," he told Jason quietly, picking up Trini's body. "It's faint."

They began the perilous journey back outside.

The ground rocked beneath them. "Run," Jason ordered, helping Carter keep his footing.

Just as they made the lobby the bank vault shook with an explosion that continued up the hall. Carter and Jason leapt across the threshold and landed hard outside the bank in a heap on the concrete. Carter rolled to prevent landing on Trini.

Dana took over immediately. "We have to get he to a hospital, now. She's flat lining." She started CPR immediately, never looking up from her work.

It took twenty minutes to get her to the hospital, or rather, the ruins of the hospital. Only one of the four wings had survived the attack. Hundreds flocked outside demanding to know what happened. The police ordered a perimeter set up outside, and only allowed the worst injured inside. The news reporters from nearby Stone Canyon had already set up a block away and were filming the destruction.

"Reports say that a massive explosion occurred in the Angel Grove town center this morning. At this time, the cause is unknown, but as you can see, the damage to the city is immense.

Crying children searched desperately for parents lost in the fray. People tramped angrily down the streets demanding an answer. Angel Grove was on its knees.


	13. Chapter 13: At What Cost?

At What Cost?

Tommy caught the tear just above her nose and let it linger on the tip of his finger like it was a piece of gold. "She'll make it out someday, you know that in your heart. And we'll never leave her alone. Rich won't give up on her. Trini gave something for us today, Kim. We owe her that much."

"Tommy," she looked into his eyes, they were hiding behind the curtain at the hospital, afraid to face the real world, and they both knew it. "There's something I have to tell you right now. I'm not going to lie, I'm so afraid that if I don't tell you right this minute I'm going to lose you and I'll never get the chance."

Tommy lifted up her chin, held it with his hands and brought his lips down on hers, letting all the cold prickly feeling leave her body. He was so perfect.

"What is it, Kim?"

She looked up at him, smiling despite the feeling of fear she felt in her gut. She didn't want him to be angry with her. But she knew a part of him would be.

"I'm...I'm pregnant, Tommy. I didn't want to let it affect what we had to do, I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

He seemed to take it in for a moment, gripping her hand in one fist and his pant leg in the other. "You mean we're going to have a baby?"

"Yes," she cried. "Yes, we're going to have a baby girl." She thought back to when Merrick had looked at her with that careful gaze, and realized that he'd known even before she had what precious life grew within her.

Tommy nodded his head somewhat dumbly. "You could have told me, sweetheart." He paused. " I'm not upset with you. We've lost too much already for me to be upset with you." He felt awful if anything. He hated the fact that she'd been exerting herself so badly over the past weeks while carrying his child.

"But, we made such a deal about having families, about brining kids into this world..."

"And that was wrong. We can't deprive anyone the love of a child, Kim. Zack and Angela knew that there was a responsibility to shoulder, but they never chose to hold off having kids. Kim..."

Jason pulled back the curtain, putting his hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Hey, sorry to bother you guys, but we need you out there."

Emily was standing behind him, clutching his arm like if she let go he'd crumble to dust.

Tommy nodded. "We're coming, man."

Kim stood up and let Jason lead her out.

Aisha came rushing over to them. "The doctors are letting the others in to see her now." She let her hands run through her ash ridden hair. "I don't know about you guys, but for some reason I have a good feeling that she's gonna be okay. Not today, not tomorrow, but definitely someday she's gonna make it out of that coma."

Adam came around the corner, his chest bandaged heavily. "Hate to break it to you guys, but it's not time to get our hopes up yet. The test results just came in. The asphyxiation caused more brain trauma than they realized at first. They don't think she's going to make it out of the coma after all." He bit back tears, letting all the emotion of the past few weeks crash down on him. Tanya took his hand from her chair by the wall, letting him know that his grief wasn't his alone to bear.

Aisha collapsed, feeling the tears well up from her eyes and begin to pour. Rocky fell to the ground next to her, cradling her head against his shoulder. He just sat there in silence, holding her, not wanting to accept any of it yet. Someone had to be strong, and he had volunteered himself. He didn't know how much more he could handle.

Katherine came through the door, her arm bandaged from the wrist to the elbow.

Tommy came over and hugged her, touching her cheek. "Hey, you all right?"

She nodded. "I've been better, but yeah. I just heard about Trini."

The fluorescent lighting was blaring at all of them, too bright against their darkness. All of them felt completely powerless.

Someone was coming down the hall, yelling for them. Tommy recognized Wes's voice. "Taylor's stable. She's going to make it."

Kim nodded, giving silent prayers for good news.

Wes realized immediately that there wasn't any good news from them. "Trini?"

"She's gone," a cracked and half-muted voice broke from the adjoining hallway. It was Zack, leaning like a cripple against the wall, Angela unsure how to support him. He'd just lost the fight for one of his best friends.

"The doctors told us the humane thing to do is pull the plug," Angela voiced, feeling empty.

"It's Richard's decision, ultimately," Jason whispered.

Tommy nodded, taking Kim in his arms.

"Guys, I think we all need to be in there right now. I think we need to go say goodbye." It was Billy, coming inside from the balcony with Cestria. The Aquitian woman seemed at a loss for words, just as surely as the rest of them. There was not cure for this.

"Cestria, can't you do something? You guys have healed us before!" Kim cried.

She shook her head. "There is a force of great power behind this. I am powerless to stop these events."

They began the slow walk to the room where Trini was lying, silent and stony upon the bed. Richard was a hunched over form in the corner, stroking her black hair, feeling the contours of her cheeks under his palm.

"I want her to die, she shouldn't have to exist like this," he finally said, choking on the all-too-thick words.

Jason nodded, knowing that this was the right thing to do.

_This is the right path, Rangers, the path that must be walked for the greater good. She made the choice herself, in complete understanding of the consequences. Trini Kwan was a true Power Ranger, and in death the Power will protect her as it has in life. _

Zordon was still watching them, they knew that now. it was as if he were in the room with them, casting a brilliant shroud of white light over them.

Out of impulse they all moved into a circle, raised their hands, touched the tips of their fingers, felt the power run through them and into Trini.

_I love you guys, _she said. _I am ready to move on, now. I was born for this, I realize it now. From the moment I met you all I knew I would die for you, and I embrace it. Tell my parents, tell Richie, that I will always love them. Let them know that my Power will keep them safe. I want you guys to know that I have no regrets. My life was full and my spirit is free. _

Trini's form rose in front of them, as if an angel were ascending before their eyes. And their hands fell. The monitors began to beep, the flat line signaled that she was finally at rest.

The doctors rushed in, forcing them into a huddled mass. They covered her beautiful face with the staunch white sheet, and slowly they departed the room.

"Kim?" Tommy asked, realizing she'd stopped breathing for a moment.

"I always expected all of us to die old, you know? I always thought they'd give us that."

* * *

It was raining outside, pearly drops that lost their tears. It was still summer, but the chill made it seem like winter. The fire and iron around them made it seem hopeless, like the world was razed. Then they saw Joel with Angela Fairweather and their tiny little girl, Ainslee, standing amongst the ashes, and there was hope. Carter was putting out a fire with a garden hose by the trees, and Kelsey was there with Chad helping the wounded, and Dana came at them from behind with Ryan, both holding cats that had been found amongst the wreckage by the hospital, remaining unscathed.

Aisha took the cat from Ryan and let him kiss her on the cheek, feeling the touch of a friend, someone who cared. Tanya took the other, realizing that Aisha's love for animals had made Tanya a Ranger, that these furry friends had brought them together. In a way it connected them, even at this hour of emptiness, to a feeling of fulfillment, of hope.

Farkas and Eugene, her dear Bulk and Skull, made their way through the rubble, their inner light shining despite the smudges on their faces. For the first time, Kim saw them as more than fools, more than mere heroes, she saw them as the reason she was alive.

"Why didn't you ever tell us that you saved us?" she asked, the realization of all their past heroism weighing on her in the hour when she needed most to know there was good in the world.

Bulk sighed. "Just doing our duty, Kimberly."

Skull looked at her and seemed to think he deserved a kiss for that. She smiled.

_They have a different kind of Power, no less potent or beautiful._

* * *

Taylor opened her eyes, realized that there were people all around her, that she wasn't alone. The pain was numbing, not excruciating anymore.

"What happened?" she asked, realizing that she'd likely passed out from loss of blood.

"Hey, none of that," Alyssa told her. "All you need to know is that you're safe."

"Where's Eric?" she asked, knowing that she'd last seen him with her blood running over his hands.

"He's fine, don't worry. Cole drug him out so he wouldn't become welded to the chair."

Taylor's lips curved into a half-smile. "Self-sacrificing bastard."

Danny and Max climbed down from the window sill and shoved flowers in her face, telling her over and over again that they were so glad she was alive. She realized that Kendall was there too, giving all of them a wide berth.

"She's awake!" she heard Cole exclaim from the coffee machine outside her room.

Eric was through the door and at her side before Cole had finished.

"Hey," Taylor said as he kissed her cheek, then her lips. "Alyssa said you carried me here."

"I did no such thing," Alyssa promised, telling herself she would be no part of their games.

Eric shrugged. "I don't really remember much."

"How long was I out?"

"A day and a half tops, don't worry, Eric plugged that guy full of holes for you." Max punched Eric's shoulder lightly, glad that the Silver Guardian wasn't in the mood to be testy.

Taylor closed her eyes. "How bad is it outside?"

Alyssa took Taylor's hand. "We just got word from Wes that Trini died about an hour ago."

The color drained from the room immediately.

Taylor turned her face into Eric's sleeve and started to cry for the first time she could remember in a long time.

* * *

Merrick looked at Shayla, and she looked up at him, elegant as always, this time completely mortal just like him. He didn't know how, or why, but she was there in the room with him. The woman wandering the streets calling his name hadn't been a mirage, she'd been real and she'd found him. Gavriel had told him to give up hope, but he'd been wrong. Shayla had survived, somehow. The woman he'd loved for a thousand years was in his arms.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are, Princess?"

Shayla blushed. "Merrick,"

He sat down beside her and took her hand. "I keep feeling like there is something fleeting about this."

She sat up against his chest. "Why would I have any reason to flee this time, love? There is nothing left for me to do but be in your arms, the Animarium wanders the stars without my guidance now, and Zen Aku is long banished from your body."

Shayla brushed a hand across his cheek.

"Why do I feel like this victory is empty?"

"Because you know in your heart the price was too high to comprehend in human terms, Merrick. Humans do not understand the concept of death the way others of the universe. It is harder for you, and now for me."

Shayla leaned him back against the pillow. "But there was good from this battle also. We are alive, here, free at last and protected as always by the Power."

Merrick stared into her eyes. "Why has the Power given you to me, Shayla? What have I done to deserve you after all my evil deeds?"

Zen Aku had claimed more of him than he realized. Even after banishing the evil spirit from his body he still claimed him as part of him. He could no more breathe without remembering Zen Aku than he could look Shayla in the eye and not feel a longing to go somewhere with her where the world could not touch them, not break them apart. The Lone Wolf was who he had become, the howler, the one in pain from being caged so long that he'd forgotten the taste of freedom, what to do with unshackled paws and unfettered love. Merrick was more scarred than he had ever realized. He didn't trust himself, and because of that, he could never really trust anyone. Not even after all he'd been through.

"Shush," she cooed. "Do not question the ways of the heart." Shayla touched his forehead with her hand. It felt like an angel wing brushing him. For a moment Merrick felt the walls break down. He wanted to change, to leave the confines of his fractured life and start anew with her.

He felt strange, lying there with her, in the motel room, with the smell of smoke from the fires assaulting his nostrils, the feeling of her clothes not the ephemeral dress, but a white camisole and jeans. They'd come so far in time that their life was completely changed, yet one thing remained constant. They still needed one another.

* * *

_May the Power protect you...protect you... protect you..._

The wind carried those words to the ears of the teams, bloody and exhausted, but alive. The sun gleamed above them, carrying no trace of evil.

* * *

Conner looked over at Angel Grove High and realized they'd saved it one last time, for a new class. Kira and Trent and Ethan stood next to him, fully aware of the finality of the moment. A journey of a thousand miles had taken the Rangers home.

Krista wrapped her arms around his waist, walked him to a tree similar to the tree they'd saved together in Reefside, and they sat under it, waiting for the call, waiting for Tommy. They'd been through so much together, more than they had ever imagined possible.

* * *

Tori dressed a wound on Blake's arm while Cam and Hunter watched Dustin and Shane pick up the fallen sign outside a shop. Dustin called Kelly and told her that they were safe. Hunter grabbed an apple from the basket inside, telling himself that they were free to relax, but a part of him felt that the greatest test, the test of moving on, was the greatest obstacle they still had to face.

* * *

Maya felt the ground beneath her, touched the blood streaming from the cracks in the rocks. She knew before they told her that someone had died, someone they loved and cared for. One of their own. Kendrix found her and told her that it was Trini, that she'd died to save her team. Maya turned, let the wind catch her long hair, let the breeze ripple across her bare skin, even chilling her bones, and followed Kendrix back to Leo, Damon, Kai, and Mike. The men were sitting at a broken table, too stunned by the days events to realize the reality they now faced.

* * *

Jen called Wes, telling him they were all right. Trip fixed Circuit's fried wires, while Lucas and Katie paced restlessly, waiting for the call to tell them to rendezvous again. They were all too shook up to realize that Jen's voice suddenly changed tone, that she shed a tear, that they wouldn't be seeing everyone again, this time, there wasn't a happy ending.

* * *

Jack shouldered the bag, let himself pick his way through the rubble, feeling the unfamiliar weight of the medical kits against his biceps. A single dreadlock fell over his eyes, and he knew that Sky was coming up behind him. "What happened?" he asked, noting the grim determination in Schuyler's face.

Sky didn't want to tell him. They'd failed in their mission. "Trini's dead." Sky knelt against the toppled statue in the courtyard.

Bridge made his way to the them with Z and Sydney. They were all feeling the weight of Sky's words.

"What does this mean for us?" Jack asked, knowing that he had the most at stake, that he had a woman and an unborn child there waiting for him in the future. He wasn't part of SPD anymore, he had other obligations that he shouldn't have ignored.

"I've contacted Manx, so far, nothing there seems to have changed."

"You mean we should have known about this?" Elizabeth asked, clearly upset. "You mean this was supposed to happen? This did happen?"

Sydney put a hand on her shoulder, told her there was nothing they could have done. It had never been their place to rewrite history for their own benefit. The records had been locked for a reason. They had to live with that, and realize that someday it might make sense. Someday.

* * *

Nick took Madison's hand and wrapped a bandage around her cut palm. "Does that feel better?" he asked her.

"Nick?" she asked. "I want you to be honest with me. We made it this far, tell me, are you going to leave again?"

He evaded her gaze. "I don't know what I'm going to do Maddie."

"Nick, I love you, and I don't want you to leave again. It's been three years, and I don't think I've ever felt more alone than in that time."

He touched her face. "It isn't that simple."

"I'm sick of waiting for you to find yourself. I need to be with you, I need to know that you're here for me, the way I hope you know that I've always been there for you."

Vida drove up with Chip on Nick's motorcycle, clearly windblown. "Don't you hurt her again, Nick, or I swear to you I'll kick your ass, and no one's stopping me this time."

Chip stifled a smirk. Xander came outside and looked at them all, he'd just gotten off the phone with Jason, they were being recalled to Angel Grove park. The battle had been won at last, he didn't want to tell them yet that there was a price.

* * *

Will took his helmet off, letting Dax know he wasn't in the least bit thrilled with the way things had finished up. Mack tried to tell him that things would work out, and Rose was typing on her netbook like mad, trying to process. Ronny just wanted to drive, drive and drive until the world was just a blur.

The phone rang, it was Andrew, telling them from base that they were needed back in Angel Grove park. Ronny was in the car waiting for them all before Mack finished talking. Tyzonn met her at the wheel, touching her shoulder, offering her a bit of peace. She hated that he was right, that being reckless wouldn't fix the wrongs of the last battle. They couldn't undo the past, there was nothing but the present.

She drove, not letting Will, or Rose, or Mack, or Dax, or Ty let her know that she was dodging the shrapnel too fast for their own good, or that the speed limit still mattered at the end of the world. She was angry; beyond upset with their powers for not allowing them to save more lives.

* * *

Casey took RJ's advice and cut his losses, letting the spirit of his martial arts training teach him oneness with his failure, to accept the victory for what it was. Theo and Lily watched him, breathing in and out like he was, trying to process the day. They barely knew anyone, but they felt completely connected to each bit of pain that ran through the ranger network. Dominic leapt over the trunk of a fallen tree and came to them.

"Time to go," he shouted, not trying to hide his pain for the losses they'd soon have to bear. "The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can get on with our lives."

* * *

Andros raised his hand to his left temple, knowing that if he tried hard enough he could make the way clear for the car. Zhane was there beside him, with Karone, as always, the three of them focusing on the steel beam, willing it away.

Ashley brought up the Jeep with TJ, pausing only long enough for Cassie and Carlos to hop in back. They were all alone for whole city blocks. The fear of the monsters outside kept everyone hunkered down in the dark.

It wasn't going to be easy for the people of the devastated California town to rebuild their lives, but it never was. It was likely that, as always, it would be covered up, blamed on a weapon testing gone wrong, that an earthquake had occurred. It was too hard for the people to accept that some things, evil things, existed.

"Let's go," Andros called, feeling the beam break free.

Ashley nodded, throwing the car into gear. "If Justin isn't there I don't know what we're going to do." He'd rushed back across the city to find the survivors out by the industrial district with several others.

"If he isn't there as planned, we should expect the worst," TJ said, hesitantly.

Cassie didn't want to accept those words. "We'll get him."

He was there, just as planned, the blue of his shirt standing out against the cold gray hues. He didn't any worse off than they'd left him, and their weren't any children's corpses lying broken at his feet.

"They're all safe," Justin shouted, grabbing the frame of the Jeep and climbing in next to Carlos. "Time to get out of here."

* * *

"Wes," Jen called, climbing out of the black SUV.

He turned and raced to hug her. "I'm so glad to see you alive," he whispered into her ear.

She looked over his shoulder, at the defeated expressions on the faces of people who had gone into this fight knowing that they couldn't have any regrets. They'd gone out there knowing it was their duty, and now the knowledge of the cost of the war was heavy on them all.

Tommy looked over at her, his face sunken and exhausted. "I think we all need a night's sleep to clear our heads. If you all agree, I think it best to meet at the park tomorrow morning at nine."

After hours of fighting and driving, no one protested, or said much of anything. They all just wandered off in separate ways, broken like the ground they walked on.

* * *

Leo sat down on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands like his face was going to fall off if he let go. He couldn't bear to look up at the mirror and see the remnants of the man he had been before.

"Leo," Kendrix whispered. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. We're lucky to be alive."

"We sacrificed innocent people, Kendrix. I don't think I'll be able to get over that." He finished drowning in another glass of champagne.

"What were we supposed to do, Leo? Let them kill the rest of the world as well?"

He looked up at her. "I don't know. All I know is that I feel so hollow inside."

"Trini knew what she was getting into. We all did. Any of us would have died in her place."

"Does that make it any easier for you, Kendrix?" he asked.

"No."

"Then please don't patronize me."

She sat down beside him and let her head tilt onto his shoulder. "Sacrifice is never an easy thing to understand, Leo. But believe me, I understand it better than anyone. I know what it feels like to sacrifice yourself for those you love, to be in that world where life and death collide."

He nodded. "I just wish there had been another way."

She agreed silently. "It will get easier," she said after a while, holding his hand in hers.

He turned his head to look back at her. He kissed her, and felt her skin against his. For a moment he didn't feel as cold, as hollow. He knew somehow they would pick up the pieces.

* * *

"I'm really going to be a father," Tommy said quietly.

"Yes," Kimberly told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I don't know if I'm ready," he said with no reservations.

"You're ready," she promised. "You'll be the best father in the world."

He looked over at Kimberly's face, the beauty unmarred by her sorrow. She deserved to be glowing with the prospect of motherhood. She deserved to be shopping for maternity wear and tiny baby outfits instead of burying her friend, instead of fighting and spilling blood over her hands like some demon, instead of feeling like she was buried under the sand.

"How can you say that, Kim?" he asked her. "How can you know that I'll be a good father?"

She shrugged. She'd known since the day he rode into her life on his white steed that she would someday be the mother of his child. She had dreamed of it for more hours than she could count. She could see herself wrapped in his arms with her body swollen and fruitful. It hadn't been the dream of a foolish teen. It was a reality coming all too true, even after a long and bramble blocked path.

"Would you believe that I knew you would be the father of my baby since the day I first met you?"

He smiled, that warm smile that made his whole face light up with pure delight.

"Things didn't turn out the way we'd planned, Tommy," she said. "But I hope that you realize how much I wanted this child."

He could see it in her eyes. She'd wanted this, her own miracle. He always expected that they'd be parents at some point, but he'd never imagined it would be so soon after their wedding. But he'd known her forever, and they didn't have forever anymore, the clock was ticking away for all of them.

"I know. A part of me wanted it too," he paused, "but I never imagined it would happen this way."

She turned away. "I keep telling myself that she's some gift from God."

"A daughter of the Power."

Kimberly sighed. "She'll be just like you, Tommy. Funny, warm, loving, gorgeous."

"No," he told her. "She'll be like you, the amazing woman I've loved all this time. "

"What should we name her?" Kim asked him, propping herself up against his chest.

"I'm not really sure."

"What's the first name you think of when you picture her?"

Tommy's face seemed to sadden the moment she asked him that. "Trini."

Kimberly understood. "What about naming her after my mother and Trini?"

"Amelia Trini?" he asked.

"Yes, I think it's beautiful. Amelia Trini Oliver."

"She'll be so loved," he promised Kimberly, holding her hand tightly. "I'll love her, Kim, more than anything."

Kimberly relaxed. "I know you will, Tommy." She put his hand over her stomach. "We'll be a family, we'll be all right."

He didn't need her to say that. He knew it in his heart.

* * *

"I wish you could tell me what the future brings, Jen. I wish I knew that things were going to be all right."

"You know I can't, Wesley." She brushed the curtain closed and flicked on the desk lamp. "Even I don't know what every action brings, or why certain things are. We were taught at Time Force to act, not out of fear that we will erase our world, but for the sake of it. We are just as likely to mess up the time line by not acting, as we are actually doing something. I, for one, am going to do something, no matter what the cost."

He stared up at the mint green ceiling of the motel room. "I'm sorry I ever came into your life, Jen. I'm sorry that I stole your heart from Alex. I'm sorry that any of this happened to you."

She turned, landed stomach first on the bed beside him. "If you're sorry, then it's a waste of your strength. For years we've been separated, yet here we are, still just as in love and hopeless as we have always been. Don't be sorry for anything. We both made a choice to be here, Wes."

"What if something happens to you here?"

"Like what?" she asked, turning his cheek toward her face.

He shrugged. "I just don't want to cause you any more pain than I know you already face."

"You don't bring me anything but happiness. You should know after seven years how I feel."

"But in the end you always leave, you always go home, and we're left here, wondering what comes next. When does that become insufficient? When do I see you for the last time, Jen?"

She paused. "Maybe you don't have to. Maybe this time things are different. Maybe this time our mission was permanent."

He raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying the Commander said goodbye. We're here to stay, all of us, Wes."

He kissed her passionately on the lips. "You didn't say anything!"

"Because my duty was to fight not caring if I lived or died. Now, I've won and I can finally live at peace _with you_."

"I love you," he whispered. "I love you, Jennifer Scotts, I love you."

She smiled, laughing against his chin. "Maybe tomorrow won't be so bad after all. Maybe we'll be able to be a family again, Wes. Maybe this time, we'll all be closer, stay in contact, be one with the Power we've been given."

"I'd like that, to see us all together under the sunlight in this new world, and get through the pain."

Jen shook her head. "The pain won't ever really go away, Wes, you know that."

"Yeah, but I we've got something to live for, so eventually it won't be so unbearable anymore."

"It's strange how we all came for a wedding, and now, after these intense weeks, we're going to face a new day, and soon we'll all be saying goodbye to Trini."

Wes knew that the shadows in the room were hiding tears streaming from her eyes, tears of sadness, of happiness, of exhaustion.

He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her tears streak his chest. She met his lips with hers.

"I wish this moment could last forever, Wes. I wish that we didn't have to face tomorrow."

"Shush," Wes told her, she buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm here for you."

Jen knew that he would be, just as he always had been.

"Make me feel alive, Wes," she begged of him. "Make me feel alive."

* * *

Nick looked over at Madison, tracing the ties on her corset style blouse with his eyes.

She kept turning her head over her shoulder, keeping her back turned.

"I didn't give you my blanket for no reason, Madison. I gave it to you because I care about you, a lot more than I ever wanted to admit."

"Can you give me a promise, Nick?" she asked, running her hands through her long black hair, grown now past her waist. "Don't make any empty promises, don't take me here, tell me that you love me, and leave again. Vida's right, you'll break my heart."

He rushed to her side, kissed her, held the back of her head in his hand. "What if I don't make any empty promises, what if I really will stay this time?"

She turned her head, not sure if she could believe him.

"I didn't know who I was, Maddie, I had all these conflicting identities, the son, the orphan, the Light, the stupid young man, now I don't have that problem. I know who I am, I am Nick Russell, I'm the guy I've always been. I don't need magic to tell me that." For the first time in years he knew exactly who he wanted to be.

Madison welcomed a second kiss. "I believe you."

Nick pressed her against the wall. "I never should have tried to fight this."

Madison let the air leave her lungs. "Nick?"

He looked into her eyes. "I love you."

She smiled back at him. "Maybe the world isn't so black and gray."

"I know where my light has always been," he whispered into her ear. He lifted her gently off her feet and brought her down on the divan and pressed her down against him. She looked up at him with her perfect smile and he knew there was no woman in the world who could give him a love more beautiful than that he shared with her.


	14. Chapter 14: Pick Up the Pieces

Pick Up the Pieces

The Angel Grove park finally took up its namesake. Shining with a heavenly glow in a world of rubble, the green grass was a welcoming sight.

Maya had fallen asleep under one of the trees, feeing the coolness of the ground beneath her, true as always to her wild nature. She woke to the feeling of Mike's hand on her arm, shaking her like a fairy.

"The mornings on Mirinoi are so much easier to wake to," she realized. "I could have slept for days."

He smiled down at her. "Leo agrees." His younger brother was walking behind them with a drunken step, rubbing his eyes.

"You look like you've been hit by a bus," Damon remarked.

"Thanks," Leo said, sticking out his tongue. He had a five-o-clock shadow forming and dark rings around his eyes from lack of sleep and alcohol. He could have passed for a street drug addict much more easily than a hero who had just fought within an inch of his life for a world that would never be able to thank him.

"Have one too many last night, man?" Kai said, slipping past Leo and Kendrix, who was standing next to him, making sure he didn't fall over from exhaustion.

"He'll be fine after a while," she promised. "Some of us didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night after what happened."

Maya raised her eyebrow. "I think I see the others coming."

Sure enough, several of the other Rangers were making the hill, bringing baskets of food and trying their hardest to put smiles on their now rested faces.

"Morning," Lucas called as he trudged by.

"Morning," Maya called, leaping up into the tree, trying not to catch the trail of her jean skirt and lace.

Trip had died his hair that morning, covering most of his green with brown, leaving only the two sides green and falling over his eyes. A bandanna covered the jewel in the middle of his forehead. It was clear that he was intending to make this day his first official day as a member of the 21st century.

Katie marched up, her boots replaced by sequined flip flops in a nice shade of maroon. She'd straightened her hair too, deciding that her curls could go if Trip had to change to fit in.

She heard Ethan whistle her direction to which she quickly replied to by kicking her shoe at him. She was too tired and in too much turmoil to appreciate his lame excuse at flirting with her.

Karone laughed at their antics, pulling Zhane over to the water, cupping her hands and letting it trickle over her head. She felt amazing, alive. For the first time in years she felt like there was something more to her existence that just herself, trying to fix her damages. She was more than the sum of her past and her present, she was more than Andros's sister, more than Zhane's wife. She mattered, she could give something back to the world she'd almost destroyed, she could give something because others were willing to work with her to make it a better place. She was not alone, she never would be.

Andros hugged her, giving her a kiss on the cheek, told her he was proud of her. Zhane nodded, feeling more amazed by Karone's strength than ever. She'd returned to Earth as a Ranger, never once looked back and felt like she was responsible, for the first time since she'd come back into their lives she'd gotten past Astronema, been just Karone.

Ashley joined them, creating a massive wall of love, of support, of calm contemplation of what it meant for them to be there, holding each other, being safe and knowing that the world would be too, for a little while.

TJ wrapped his arm around Cassie's waist and she leaned against him, feeling safe with him, her friend since the day she'd first come to Angel Grove, the day their lives had changed forever. She could barely remember the times when she'd just been a teen looking for her big break with her guitar. TJ likewise couldn't remember a day when the most important thing to him had been making the Angel Grove baseball team. Now they were years older, harder, and dealing with more death than they could have imagined. She'd lost a lover to the war, and now the world seemed too big for her to grasp.

The world was so much larger than this city of 175,000 souls.

But the world was beautiful; even razed and ruined, it was beautiful.

Carlos and Justin watched the water, feeling the waves roll over their sandaled feet. "I've missed being here with all of you, just being friends hanging out like little kids," Justin said.

The Hispanic man turned his head toward Justin, "You'll always be a little kid to us, Justin."

Justin smiled. "Yeah? Well that's okay I guess. Sometimes I wish I'd had more of a childhood."

"No kidding, man," Carlos said quietly. "You had it rough."

"Sometimes I still wake up and wonder why my mom died. Sometimes I still see my dad in his dark place, hear the door to the karate school close, feel the emptiness of the shelter." He sat down on the grass and twisted a dandelion around in his fingers. "But then I think of how lucky I am to be here, and there's no reason for regret."

Carlos nodded. "No regret."

It was time for them all to pick up the pieces of their lives. It was time to move on, to become stronger.

Justin nodded and took Carlos's shoulder. "I'm glad I met you, I'm glad that we're friends, Carlos. If anything amazing happened from being a Power Ranger, if anything was given back to us, it was the family I gained. You and the others mean more to me than you'll ever know.

Carlos took his forearm in his hand. "I do know, brother."

* * *

Rocky found Aisha sitting at one of the few picnic tables that was still standing. She had her head buried in her arms, but unlike when they used to nap in the park, she was shaking.

He sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She looked up and buried her head in his chest. "I can't believe this is real," she groaned.

"It might be real, but it doesn't mean that you have to face it alone," he told her. "I'm still here."

Aisha nodded. "Yeah."

"You do know that I love you, right?" he asked after a minute. If only she could understand how much pain he'd been in when she'd decided to leave the rangers for Africa. She'd changed things forever.

"I think I've always known."

Rocky brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. "You always were able to see right through me."

"What took you so long to say it?" she asked, sniffing away her tears.

He looked down for a moment. "I guess I always feared that you didn't see me that way. I didn't want to ruin our friendship. It means too much to me, Aisha. We've always had such f-ed up lives. I didn't want to lose the one thing that I knew is always there."

She nodded. "You always were a fool," she told him. "But an honest fool. I understand, Rocky. Really, I do. I've felt the same way. We both did this to ourselves. This is what happens when people are too afraid to take a chance. We end up at a point in our lives where everything crumbles and we're left wondering what there is to keep fighting for."

"I'm still fighting for you," he promised. "And that will never change."

"We failed, Rocky. We might have won the battle, but we lost. Innocent people had to die because we weren't strong enough to save them. Trini died because we couldn't find a better way."

"Don't quit now," he prodded. "We still have so much to live for. Live for me."

She touched his cheek with her chocolate colored hand. "I'm not going to quit living, but I'm not sure how to survive, you know? I feel like everything is just gone. Angel Grove is gone, Trini is gone, our hope..."

"There is always hope."

"I wish you'd told me this before the battle, that you felt this way. Just hearing it from you would have been enough to keep it alive for me."

"I'm sorry, Aisha. I really am. I didn't know how to be strong..."

She silenced him by covering his lips with her own She pulled away and stood up. "I've waited for years for that. I've tried so hard to overcome that feeling but it never went away. And now in the time when everything is gray you're hear giving me exactly what I wanted and it doesn't feel the way I've imagined."

Rocky sighed. "Right. I'll go." He stood up and turned his back to her.

"You always were there for me, Rocky. You always let me fly. You let me go live my life. That was courage."

He stopped and played with his watch, wondering what she would say next.

"Maybe now I'm ready to go home."

He turned back toward her and let her step into his embrace. "How do we make up for all those lost years?" he asked her.

She sighed. "You can't undo the past. You can't fix your mistakes. You just have to go on. Isn't that what we've always stood for?"

"Yeah."

"Get me through this, Rocky, and I'll be here for you. Together we'll manage." Together they'd pick up the pieces.

* * *

The shadow had lifted and the smoke had cleared from the air. But it still weighed on them all. And Jason felt it most.

He took slow and deliberate steps down the green way to the broken park benches and haggard faces. There was a grim determination written on his face. He wouldn't let himself fall any further. Emily held his hand, watching him intently to make sure he was still breathing, that he wasn't just going to collapse from shock and pain at any minute.

"You haven't said a word all morning, Jase," she probed.

"I don't want to talk right now," he told her forcibly. "I need to process first."

"Okay," she agreed, realizing it was pointless to fight him. He'd been a soldier with a pacifist's heart for too long. She couldn't beat him at his own game of peacemaking. He had to make his own peace now. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and let go of his hand. He continued walking without looking back. She knew he had to find Zack, Tommy, and Billy and work things out with them.

Emily knew that he blamed himself for Trini's death. She knew that he felt like he should have gotten her out of that building. She also knew that the decision to sacrifice Angel Grove for the rest of the world was the hardest decision he'd ever faced. It would take him years, if not the rest of his life, to come to terms with that. He'd woken in the night screaming, seeing the faces of the children who had woken up to their last morning because they had failed to come up with another way to stop Evil from conquering Earth forever.

Jason kept fighting. He fought his emotions, his pain, he let it well up inside him until it was unbearable. She had gone through this with him before and had lost him because of it. He'd lost his Zeo powers and had become so angry inside that less than six months later he'd joined the military and she hadn't seen him again for years. By the time he'd come back into her life she'd barely recognized him, and they'd had to start over.

She was afraid of what he might become this time around, when innocent deaths and shattered friends were involved.

"He'll be all right," Kimberly told her, giving her a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I've known Jason a long time, and despite his stubbornness, there is a piece of him that is strong enough now to conquer his pain. He won't suffer forever, Emily. He has you now, and he'll always have the support of me and the rest of the Rangers."

Emily turned to face Kim and welcomed her relaxing embrace. "I just wish I knew how to make him realize it wasn't his fault."

"He knows it wasn't his fault. He just keeps doubting himself because that's how he grieves. He'll make it, Em. We all will."

Emily forced a smile. "How are you holding up?"

Kimberly forced back a tear from the corner of her eye that she'd been trying to conceal. "I'm alive."

"That's not what I meant."

Kimberly nodded. "I'll be okay after a while."

Emily realized that she was looking out at the water instead of facing Emily head-on.

"Is there something else, Kim?" Emily noted.

Kimberly snapped back. "Not right now," she said firmly. "There are more important things." She couldn't bear to think about her impending motherhood with all that had happened the day before. She was going to be burying her best friend soon. The battle was won, but the war was not over.

Emily understood. "I should let you go..."

Kimberly smiled halfheartedly and walked off to join Kat who was sitting with David, who had arrived in record time, a most disturbed look on her face.

"What is it, Kat?" she asked, noting the Aussie's teeth were dangerously close to biting through her lips.

"I've just never seen so much evil, felt it so strongly as I did yesterday. It shook me deeper than I can explain, Kim. Even when Rita had control of my mind I didn't feel as much evil around me as I felt here. It was overwhelming, like a great wave crashing down on me, and when I came up for air the world was different." She shook her head. "But maybe I'm just being silly. I'm not taking any of this very well..."

"I know what you felt because I felt it too. It was a penetration so deep it made your entire being feel...dirty." Kimberly sat beside Kat.

Katherine relaxed slightly. "I just keep seeing her face and I realize that I never really knew her. I talked with her briefly when we would get together, but I feel like she was gone before..."

"Trini was an amazing person, Kat. I know that she counted you as a friend, and that should mean something."

Kat tapped her foot anxiously on the grass. "I just don't understand..."

"We're not meant to understand, it just is. In the flashpoint there is no rhyme or reason for who dies. It was just her time and there was nothing we could have done to stop it. At least she died for something." Kimberly was rationalizing for herself as much as for Kat's benefit.

"Maybe someday we'll all get the chance to thank her properly," Kat hoped.

Kimberly leaned against Kat's shoulder and Kat leaned against David. The women didn't know what death had in store for any of them, but they knew that Trini had been blessed with a place of golden leaves and green fields, and someday in the future when their lives were lived and their time had also come, they would see her again.

* * *

Tanya watched Adam's feet so she wouldn't have to see how changed the world was. He still wore the same flat soled sneakers he'd wore the night he'd proposed to her three years before.

"I wish that I could turn back time, just this once," Adam said quietly. "But I know it doesn't work that way. We did what we were meant to do, and we have to live with the consequences."

Tanya realized that he'd grimaced as he spoke, still feeling the affects of his stitches and the local anesthetic.

She knew he'd have a scar on his chest from now on marking the place where the blade had caught him. If Aisha hadn't been there to keep him alive she knew he would not be walking beside her.

"We did the right thing, Adam. We let her go. It wouldn't have made any sense to keep her like that."

Adam knew she was right. "I just wish there had been another way..."

She put a finger over his lips. "Nothing would have changed." She kissed him lightly.

The wind had begun to pick up, creating a nice breeze that enticed them to let it take away their worries for a time and work toward facing the future.

"Having been through this makes me realize how lucky I am," he confided to her. "I wish I'd realized it sooner."

Tanya leaned back against a tree and pulled him closer to her. "I feel the same regret you do, Adam, but Trini wouldn't want us to feel this way. The world will go on because of what we did."

The ultimate sacrifice, he thought. All the paths they had walked had lead them to this one moment.

* * *

Conner stood up and walked to the edge of the water from his vantage point near his car. He picked up a fallen tree branch and began to make spirals in the water, watching his distorted reflection cast off into nothing. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and looked up at the opposite shore where he saw the remains of what had been a little girl's birthday party. The party favors were still littered along the lake bed and unopened presents lay in a neat pile next to one of the overturned benches.

"The world is still here, Kris," he murmured. "Even after all this destruction there is still something that remains."

Krista nodded and let him wrap his arm around her waist.

"I can see that little girl in her pink tutu waving her fairy princess wand and her mother watching nearby with a beaming expression as her daddy takes photos. I can see the little children playing with the games and laughing."

He turned away from the water and put a hand on her cheek. "Someday she'll come back for those presents. Tell me she'll come back, Kris."

Krista wrapped her hand over his. "She'll come back, Conner."

He tried to smile but he only ended up making a strange grimace that clearly displayed the cracks in his mask.

"I want to be strong," he told her. "But every time I tell myself that there is hope for rebuilding this place I remember how far gone it really is."

"Nothing is too far gone," she reminded him.

* * *

Z looked over at Danny. He'd been watching her all morning, standing under the tree with Kendall. She didn't know what to say to him. Every time she felt like going over, she got cold feet and decided to stay in the shelter of those she knew had her back.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Sky asked her quietly, coming up behind her.

She turned and stared into the man's blue eyes. "Do you think Danny looks like me?" she asked quietly. "Cause I keep seeing myself in him, realizing how much he looks like my father, but I don't want to believe it."

Sky looked over at Danny, appraising his face. "You really want to know what I think?" He didn't want to hurt her.

"Yeah," she said. "I do."

"I think you need to talk to him."

She nodded. That's exactly what she'd expected from him. Her former teammate and commanding officer hardly ever provided a straight answer.

"You want me to come?" Sky asked, noticing her tense up. It was times like this when he always surprised her with an offer of companionship she didn't expect.

"No, I'll be okay."

She walked over to Danny and stopped in front of him.

"Elizabeth," he said with a start. "Can I help you?"

"You and I both know there's something you're not saying to me." She stood more firmly now, struggling with herself. "I'm not stupid," she said after a while. "I did just fine without you."

Kendall evaded the gaze of her partner's daughter, gave Danny a quick pat on the shoulder and walked away.

"I want you to know something..."

She closed her eyes. "What would that be?" She could barely stand to look at him. It was too difficult to see her own eyes looking back at her.

"It wasn't that I didn't love you."

"You might be my father," she told him with sincerity, ignoring his words, "but I'm letting you off the hook. I might have your genes, but I sure as hell don't need you. The fact that you thought you needed to lie to me is enough. I appreciate what you tried to do- but I found out anyway. I lived my life the best way I knew how, and I don't regret that. I want you to know that I turned out okay." She took Danny's shoulder and forced herself to look at him. "I don't blame you for anything, and I don't want your apology."

She turned away and began walking back toward her real family, the people she loved. She closed the door between them. He was nothing more than just another teammate to her. He was just another ranger. He would never be her dad.

* * *

Side-by-side they all walked toward the center of the field of green, the last haven in Angel Grove. They could hear the wail of sirens as the people who had survived began to work on restructuring their lives. It was as if they'd just woken up from a terrible dream.

What would the world know of what had nearly cost everything? Nothing. The world would move on as if nothing had happened after a while. The story would move from the front page to obscurity and then melt away. The scars would form and the wound would all but heal.

And they would move on.

The love they'd all gained was stronger than the pain in their hearts, stronger than the fear in their minds.

* * *

Ronny smiled over at Ty. He was twirling a wilted dandelion flower in his hands.

"Hey," she said quietly. "What are you doing?"

He looked up and blushed. "Oh, I'm just admiring the flower."

Ronny nodded, "It's a beautiful flower, very yellow."

"Your color," he remarked. "You should have it."

She accepted it warmly. "Hey, Ty?"

"Yeah?" he asked, noting the change in her voice.

"So," she started hesitantly. "Since this is all over, does it mean you'll be leaving soon?"

He looked down at the grass. "I guess so."

Ronny nodded. "Oh."

Tyzonn put a hand on her shoulder. "Vella will be waiting for me."

_Stop being stupid, Ronny_, she told herself. She knew better than to let herself be upset again. Tyzonn had loved Vella long before she'd known him.

"I'll miss you," she told him.

He stepped closer to her. "I'll miss you too, Ronny. I always miss you when you're away. You are my friend."

Friend. That should have been enough for her. She'd thought it was just a crush at first, but since he'd gone away she'd felt this aching inside her she didn't know how to control.

"Tyzonn?"

"What is it, Ronny?"

"You told me that you'd take me there someday, to Mercuria."

He let his hand fall. "Of course I did."

"When?"

He paused for a moment. "I suppose you'll come for the wedding?"

A familiar pang hit her squarely in the heart. She was running out of time. He was mentioning marrying her more frequently. It seemed that he actually was going through with it.

"I was hoping..."

"You were hoping it would be the two of us."

She was surprised he'd read her that easily.

Ronny looked away, trying to bite back tears. "I want you to be happy with Vella. Believe me, there is nothing more important to me than seeing you happy."

"But what about you?" he asked her thoughtfully. "When do you get to be happy, Ronny?"

She hadn't really thought about that. She knew she had to let him go. Just friends.

"I'll be happy, Ty."

"I wish I could make you happy," he told her, wrapping his arms around her.

"You couldn't do that," she promised him. "I have to do that for myself." She broke away from him, from the intoxicating quicksilver eyes.

Tyzonn watched Ronny fight to look at him again. "I do care about you," he promised.

She looked back over her shoulder. "You are going to marry Vella. That is all there is to this story. It was over before it ever began. I've been dreaming." Ronny touched his cheek. "I'm sorry, Tyzonn. I hope that you can find a way to forgive me."

He caught her hand, "Forgive you? For what? Ronny..."

"I am so lucky to have you in my life, as a friend," she told him, kissing him on the cheek and feeling the ties break that connected her heart to his. It was time to move on. "I'll be okay." And with that she smiled and walked away.

* * *

"I just spoke with the mortuary," Zack said quietly. "They're severely overwhelmed right now, no thanks to us."

Billy shook Zack's shoulder. "Don't say that."

"We can bury Trini tomorrow."

It was as if a thousand pound wight had been dropped on all of them. The solace that the park had offered was banished the second the words were spoken with finality. She was really not coming back.

Carter took Dana's hand reflexively and she welcomed it. She knew what it was like to lose someone. They all did. It frightened her just how many of them had lost someone close to them. Each life was like a candle flame too easily snuffed out when the wick burned too low or the wind blew just right.

Ryan and Kelsey sat next to them, trying their best to stay composed. It was the same for everyone. No one could speak for the needle driven through their lips with unbreakable thread. The innumerable silence was all they had in this broken town of broken dreams and broken lives.

Hope was overshadowed again. It would be so hard to move on.

"Is there anything we can do?" Mack asked.

"Give them some space," Rose told him.

"I can't believe this is the end." Will whispered. "The freaking morphing grid is screwed."

Dax nodded, feeling the emptiness where his link had once been.

"This really is it." Mack said with finality.

"Our Power still exists," Nick told them. "Inside us." For the first time, he was the hope when everyone else was falling apart. It was a strange exhilarating feeling.

"But we'll never be the same," Xander added.

"It's like we've just grown up," Vida said with a drone. "Childhood's end."

"I wouldn't have traded our time for the world," Chip declared.

Madison nodded. Daggeron remained silent as well.

"I'm sorry," Sky told them all. "I didn't realize..."

"We didn't realize this is what happened," Bridge continued.

"They didn't tell us... we weren't meant to know," Sydney consoled.

"If we had known we would have tried..." Z started.

"Don't say it," Jack told her.

Kira sighed. "We did what we had to do."

"We're still alive," added Conner.

"And we managed to keep the world safe," Ethan said, looking over at Trent's latest drawing. He was working diligently on it. It was a picture of them. All of them. Each and every face was in incredible detail. No one would ever know that they had been the faces behind the helmets. It was better that way.

* * *

"Tori?" Hunter asked, realizing that she was standing off by herself.

She looked up and flicked back her hair. "Blake and I had a fight last night," she told him. "I told him I couldn't go on the way we have. I told him it wasn't enough any more." She had a tear threatening to fall down her nose.

Hunter wrapped his arms around her. "What did he say."

"He said he'd quit Factory Blue for me."

Hunter tried to sustain his shock. Factory Blue was his brother's life, it was everything to him, or so he'd thought. "That's what you wanted?"

"Yes, but now I feel so guilty."

Tori accepted his firm grasp around her wrist. "It's about time he sacrificed for you, Tori."

She sighed. "I just..."

"The relationship wasn't working out with him leaving all the time. It happens. Don't feel like you were the villain."

She gave in to her tears. "I just need him to be there. He's never there, Hunter."

"I know I'm never there," Blake said from behind her.

Hunter let her go awkwardly.

Tori turned around.

"I was using you. I was expecting exactly what you said. Love when it was convenient for me. I never once thought about what you wanted. I just called in my resignation at the end of the cycle. Tori..." He stepped forward and took her in his arms. "I want to be here now. We could have died out there, and I don't want to give up what time I have left with you."

Hunter backed away and went to find Shane, Dustin and Cam. He could see that familiar look in Blake's eyes that meant he was about to kiss Tori and he didn't want to intrude.

"I just can't make it stop," Dustin said quietly, turning to Kelly. "The voices of those we've lost are ringing in my ears again." He hated being vulnerable. He hated feeling like the one who always broke down.

Kelly took his hand. "You're free now, Dustin. Don't let it weigh you down anymore." She had to hold him together, had to be his support right now.

Shane and Cam stood with their arms crossed, trying not to make everyone else feel like they were invading any personal conversations.

"Come on, guys," Hunter called. "I think we're all going to be heading off in a while. We'll be back tomorrow anyhow."

"What about the 'reconstruction'."

Hunter looked over at Cam. "Is anything anyone says right now going to make you feel better, Cam?"

Cameron looked down. "No."

"Then I don't think we need to stick around. We'll all be together again for the funeral."

Shane agreed silently and handed Hunter a necklace from his pocket.

"You found it," Hunter said with wide eyes. "How'd you..."

Shane messed with some change in his pocket. "I saw you drop it and I went back for it last night."

Hunter squinted his eyes. "Why'd you do that for me?"

"Just don't lose it again, man. I know that thing means a lot to you." Shane couldn't place when Hunter had even inherited the necklace, but since he'd noticed it he had never seen Hunter without it. He even wore it to the beach.

"Right," Hunter said with a sigh. He tied it back in place around his neck and didn't mention it again. The world went still around him.


	15. Chapter 15: Requiem For A Ranger

Requiem For A Ranger

Dedicated in the memory of Thuy Trang, may the Power always protect her

The footfalls were so silent, so hollow, that the cemetery might well have claimed the mourners as well as the dead and buried. No one had the courage to speak out over the bitter cries of the women, or the stifled sobs of the men who tried to no avail to remain strong. It was too hard to contemplate what a voice would sound like after the world had taken away the lilt from the notes.

What had brought them together had been happiness, and now what saw them assemble before the breaking of fellowship was a bitter goodbye for one who's time had come too soon.

Jason Lee Scott walked arm-in-arm with Emily. Jason had bought a last bouquet of yellow roses for his friend. He'd known Trini since they were small children in the second grade still learning to read and add. Even then she'd been so full of life, so beautiful and promising. She'd smiled and given him a warmth in his heart that he'd never imagined could go out.

"Goodbye, Trini," he whispered, feeling the tears starting to break from his eyes and pour down his cheeks. He could no longer hold the dam back with his strength of will. Trini had touched him in so many ways.

Zack Taylor walked next to the casket and brought with him one of Trini's precious dolls. He set it beside her. Angela supported him as he took the final plunge and walked away. "I'll always remember what you taught me about life and about myself, Trini," he promised. "I'll never forget you."

Tommy and Kim followed next with Trini's black belt and her favorite book of Buddhist prayers. "I know that there was a special place in heaven waiting for you when you got there," Kim said quietly.

Tommy laid the belt beside Trini's still form. "You were the most elegant martial artist I've ever known, Trini. You inspired such grace and respect. I'll always treasure what you gave me."

They walked away, hand-in-hand, feeling the breeze bring a sense of closure they hadn't thought possible. It was as if she was there, watching them and giving them the bright smile that they longed to see.

Billy came beside Trini's body and laid a necklace in her open hand. "You were the only person in my life who really saw me for who I am, Trini. When you looked at me you didn't see some insecure brainiac, you saw me. Thank you." Cestria held out her open hand and he took it carefully. He looked one last time at her peaceful face and turned his back. He took one step, then another, and another.

Rocky and Aisha came next, holding each a flower.

"I wish I had words to express what I feel right now," Aisha told her. "I wish I could tell you how much it means to me to have taken your place, Trini. You gave me this family and for that I will be eternally in your debt."

"Don't forget us, Trini," Rocky said hopelessly. "I know I won't forget you. We'll see each other again someday."

"Goodbye, Trini," Adam followed. "The spirits of all of us are with you right now. All you need do is talk to us and we'll listen." He wished that he could hear her voice reassuring him again as she had the moment they'd given her rest.

Tanya laid down a lily. "We'll never forget your sacrifice, what you did for us was the most selfless act I'll ever know. You are my inspiration, Trini." Goodbye.

The rest of the mourners walked slowly in procession each with a word of prayer, a goodbye, a thank you. The wind was coated in thick tears and beautiful words that were spoken from heartbroken lips.

And then Richie came. His last goodbye to his lover. "I remember meeting you sophomore year. You were the shining star that made Angel Grove heaven for me. When you moved away I thought I'd never see the sun again."

His ex-wife nodded quietly, holding their son's hand in hers. She came forward and hugged Richie lightly.

"Goodbye, love. I hope that I can make you as proud of me as I am of you."

"May the Power protect you," was the wispy chant that followed and was carried off by the breeze to the beyond. They'd finally said goodbye and their story had changed pages to a new and blank leaf. The could write it however they all wished. There was the dark path of pain and remorse, or the white path of redemption and hope and love.

They all knew which road Trini was taking them toward. She lead them all with outstretched arms cast in gold and silver, her hair of black pearls and her eyes of diamond. She would not let them wallow in the loss they all felt. They would live, and go on to do greater things than they could imagine.

The path was obscured beyond a few steps by large green vines that they could easily brush away with a few steps. It was time.

Take me away, the voices beckoned.

Silently they all departed, one solid mass washing away the pain like a great wave. Leaving flowers in their wake they went on in the way of the soldier, the hero, the human being. Blood was washed away by love, pain washed away by a dizzying ecstasy for life, hope conquered fear. The sun reigned down over the ruins of Angel Grove where pillar by pillar it would return to life.

Children played in the park with curly dogs chasing them. Men painted the courthouse with a new cheery white coat that covered all the ash and smoke. The smell of fresh cut grass wafted through the city followed by the salty sea.

The world would begin again and the broken bones and wilted flora would grow back stronger and more alive than ever.

Zordon watched over them, feeling for the first time that no ounce of doubt clouded the minds of his beloved Power Rangers. They had fought and survived together as one force that he now knew was unstoppable. Evil might tear them apart through death, but they would still be linked by mind and body. No amount of hardship or span of time would separate them.

He felt at last that it was his time to return to the stars, to the heaven rest he'd waited for for so long. _Goodbye, Power Rangers _he said in his most heartfelt voice. The world no longer needed him, no longer required his presence. He felt weightless and free and at once was gone from the world of Earth and the stars beyond.

Shayla smiled up, feeling his great energy pass over the Animaria bringing with it a new wealth of life. Demetria gave one last sigh and returned too to the world where she had been born long ago where the fight against Evil would one day call her.

It could not have been a more perfect day to let go, to begin again. The sun had risen perfectly in an arc of golden fire that lit up the sky like a stroke of paint on a white canvas. The waves from the shore brought with them a cool and comforting breeze that spoke of peaceful days to come. There would be no more darkness or despair for a time.

Jason looked at the pictures of her all laid out in the chapel and knew now that it was not his fault that death had claimed her. In the battle between good and evil there was sacrifice. He was honored to have witnessed her sacrifice, no matter how difficult it was to accept.

Every dinosaur had eventually fallen to the changing Earth, and so had, at last, the powers that had made him a hero. He had to be a different kind of hero now, and he'd already taken it upon himself to pave that road. He could still hear the cry of the T-Rex in his ears, feel the heat against his face. That spirit would never die.

It would not do them any good to weep any more tears for the lost, nor carry the weight of them. It was time to celebrate life, not condemn death for existing in the end.

"No more shadows," he whispered. "I can't see any more shadows, Emily. It's all so bright and pure."

Emily smiled up at him. She could see in his face that the man she'd known before war and strife had returned in a way she hadn't thought possible. He was peeking out over the horizon like the sleepy moon, testing the waters only to find them warm and inviting.

Kimberly looked out across the grass at the hills where Trini had liked to go to meditate. She could hear the roar of the sabertooth tiger and the soft tones of her voice mixed in a heavenly melody that would reverberate until the world was changed beyond recognition.

"I can't remember ever seeing the world so clearly," Billy remarked, scanning the skyline looking at the wispy clouds.

"It's as if heaven's spilt a little glory for all of us," Zack said with awe.

Tommy wrapped his arm around Kimberly's waist. "We did a good thing," he told her. "We did something remarkable here."

Adam touched Tanya's nose. "Hey," he said warmly. "You're smiling."

She looked back at him. "I just feel so..."

"Free."

Rocky joined them with Aisha, their hands entwined lovingly.

"It's like this weight has been lifted off my shoulders, like I could do anything."

"Like the world has forgiven us," Kat calmly added, "For all our mistakes."

The day was full and then it waned like life, every facet more beautiful still until the end.

Candles burned brightly against the sky in an elegy. A requiem for a ranger lost but not in vain.

This day would never end, never fail to burn on in their minds for all eternity. They breathed with one lung, pumped with one heart, thought with one mind. For that moment in time they could hear each others' thoughts as clearly as if they had been spoken with words.

The music of the night cascaded in their ears until all grief had washed away and they awoke, each, to a bright new dawn.


End file.
